The Princess and The Duke
by TakerTakeMe
Summary: Chris Jericho has two best friends, and both come to spend some time at his house. The problem? They both love Chris, but they hate each other! I'm trying not to make this a Chris and Steph story but it isn't working...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"I keep telling you, Baby Girl, that you don't _have_ to leave the WWE," Chris Jericho said, looking over at the woman in the passenger's seat of his car. "You can always just patch things up with Vince and then everything will be better."

"There's no patching things up with that man!" Stephanie McMahon exclaimed. "He's an ass, and I'm tired of taking his crap!"

"But he's your dad, Steph," he argued. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Chris, you know my dad. You know what he's...what he's done to me," she said, swallowing hard. "So I'm taking the first step, after all these years, and I'm getting out."

"What about Linda and Shane?" he asked, glancing over as he stopped at a red light. "Are they leaving the company, too?"

"Mom will be under Dad's control for the rest of her life, because, after all these years, that's all she knows," she said, looking out the window. "Shane, though... He's a real man, a good man. He can take care of himself."

"If you say so," he said with a sigh.

"I do." She looked over at him. "So does your wife have a problem with me staying over for a while? Because if she does, I could totally go to a hotel."

"Nonsense. You're one of my best friends, and Jess knows that," he said. "She's actually happy that you're coming over..."

"Great. So where am I sleeping?" she wanted to know.

"How would you feel about having the guest house all to yourself?" he asked. "I mean, because that's where I planned to set you up at."

"Geez, and I was only expecting a room," she said with a light laugh. She looked at him with a suddenly serious expression on her face. "Thank you, Chris."

He smiled at her. "You're welcome. What kind of friend would I be if I'd turned you away?"

"I don't even want to know," she said. She looked ahead of her as Chris drove through the gates at the entrance of his property and pulled into the driveway. Her eyes narrowed at someone she saw. "Oh God. Is that who I think it is?" she groaned.

He looked in the direction where she was looking and a look of surprise appeared on his face. "I wasn't expecting him. I wonder why he's here."

"I wonder when he's leaving," she said, rolling her eyes as Chris stopped the car.

Chris looked at her with his piercing blue eyes. "Play nice, Steph. He's my best friend, too."

"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me," she griped, opening her door and getting out. Her light mood was suddenly dark and heavy. She looked over at the man she had disliked for quite some time, then walked over to him. Chris's other best friend... "Oh lookie, it's _Bitch_ Ward," she said in greeting.

"Wow, Steph, that's how you greet The Duke?" Rich Ward asked, rolling his eyes heavenward. "I mean, we're both royalty, are we not? Why can't we just get along?"

"Because I don't wanna," she replied immediately. "And you can't make me."

"Chris, I see your other best friend is still a spoiled brat," Rich said as Chris walked over to them.

"Yeah, Chris, your other best friend is _still_ a bitch," Stephanie said.

"God, not again," Chris said, sounding frustrated. "Why can't you two just get along?"

"See, I tried that, but she's too spoiled," Rich said, shaking his head. "I guess she wouldn't want to be friends with a hardcore guy like me."

"Just because you have graffiti all over your upper body...oops, I mean, _tattoos_," Stephanie said, pausing to giggle at the look on his face. "Just because you have tattoos all over your body, that doesn't make you hardcore, loser."

"Yeah, and you know all about hardcore," Rich teased, flashing a huge smile at her. "Seeing as how you're the star of a dozen or more hardcore porn movies..."

"And you would know that _how?_ Because you bought every single one of them?" Stephanie asked. "I know you admire my awesome body, but that's just a bit much."

"Guys, guys, just calm down," Chris interrupted, looking at his two best friends. They were so very different, and yet so very much alike in so many ways. At the moment, they were glaring at each other, and if looks could kill, they would both be dead. "You two are always at each other's throats."

"Yeah, she knows a lot about throats," Rich cracked. "Deep-throating, that is."

"I learned it all from you. Word in the men's locker room has it that you're the best at deep-throating, _Duke_," Stephanie commented.

"Is that so, _Princess_?" Rich asked, amused.

"Damn right," Stephanie shot back.

"You're funny."

"I know."

"Um, Steph, do you want to go in the main house and talk to Jess?" Chris asked, knowing that he would never find out the reason Rich was there until he put some space between his two friends. "I'm sure she and Ash are in there somewhere, and I know Ash would love seeing you, _Aunt Steph_."

"Oh, Ash, that adorable little boy," Stephanie said, eyes twinkling at the thought of the little boy who looked so much like his father. "Yes, I think I'll go do that..." She looked at Rich. "But when I come back, I hope _he_ is long gone."

"Fat chance," Rich called after her as she headed for the main house. "I'm not leaving anytime soon!"

"Really?" Chris asked. He studied his friend's face. "What's going on?"

"My wife and I had a little fight, and I told her I was leaving for a few days...and so here I am," Rich said. "I figured it was the best time for me to make a little visit to my best friend's house..."

"I wouldn't have a problem with you staying here, man," Chris said. "But Steph is staying here for a couple of days, too, maybe even weeks."

"Dude, your house is where everyone runs when life gets to be too much," Rich said with a laugh. "But, anyway, Jess said that I could stay in the guest house. Is that cool with you?"

"You mean, is that cool with Steph? Because I already told her that _she_ could stay in the guest house," Chris told him.

"Aw man," Rich said, kicking his feet against the grass. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"Share the guest house with Steph," Chris said with a shrug. "That's the only thing I can think of."

Just then, Stephanie came back outside, walking with Jess and Ash. The three of them walked over to Chris, and Chris pulled Jess into his arms and kissed her on the forehead.

Stephanie held on to Ash's little hand and watched the display before her. In her opinion, Jess was really a lucky woman, to have a man like Chris. Stephanie was just happy to at least have him as a friend, a best friend at that. Too bad she had to share him with that bastard guitar player... Stephanie looked over at the before-mentioned "bastard guitar player" and frowned. "Why aren't you gone yet?" she asked him.

"Because I'm going to be staying here for the next couple of days," Rich said, smiling at her. "And I'm going to be sharing the guest house with _you_."

Stephanie's mouth dropped, and she looked at Chris. "Is this true?" she asked, hoping against hope that Rich was just playing some kind of joke on her. He was known for playing jokes on people, after all. If she was lucky, this would all be just a big joke...

"Yeah, it's true," Chris said. "You two are going to be sharing the guest house... But look on the bright side. Maybe you two will finally learn to get along, or at least to put up with each other."

"I highly doubt that," Stephanie said, glaring at Rich. She looked down at the little boy, whose hand she was still holding. He was so adorable... "Come on, Ash, let Aunt Steph take you for a walk..."

Chris, Jess, and Rich watched Stephanie and Ash walk away, and then Rich spoke. "I don't know how the hell I'm going to put up with _that_ woman for the next week or so," he said, shaking his head.

"Oh come on, she's great with Ash," Jess said, still watching them.

"Yeah, you just have to win her trust and get to know her..." Chris's voice trailed off as he looked at her walking and playing with his little boy. _She'll make a great mother someday_, he thought. _A fantastic mother, even_. "She's really not that bad."

"You're right," Rich said, turning around and heading for his car so he could get his stuff. "She's not that bad... She's worse."

When Rich was out of earshot, Jess looked up at Chris. "Do you think it's a good idea putting those two in the guest house together?"

"Not particularly, but I don't think they'll kill each other or anything," Chris replied.

She leaned against him and looked over at Stephanie and Ash again. "I hope not..."

**A/N: I know I have a lot of stories to update and finish, but this idea just popped into my head, so I had to post it. I'm not sure when the next update will come... But when it does, I think it'll be pretty interesting! So tell me if you like it or if you hate it...in a review! Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Chris sat in the kitchen on a bar stool and watched Jess as she put the finishing touches on dinner. She had thrown dinner together remarkably fast under such short notice, and it pleased him immensely. _Just another reason I love her_, he thought. _Must add "performs well under pressure" to the never-ending list._

"What are you thinking about, honey?" Jess asked, pausing to look over her shoulder at her husband. She had felt his eyes on her, watching her, and she absolutely loved the feeling.

"Just thinking about how perfect you are for me," he said, smiling at her. "You're so perfect."

"I'm far from perfect, but thank you," she said, walking over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him softly.

"Have I told you how perfect your lips are?" he asked, putting his arms around her.

"Many times," she giggled, nipping at his bottom lip. "Yours are perfect, too."

"Oh, ew, this is too much for my eyes," Rich said, entering the kitchen. He leaned against the doorframe and smiled at them. "You guys should get a room, if you want my honest opinion."

"We don't," Chris joked. "And this is our house... We can make out when we want to, where we want to."

"I agree... Like this," Jess said, kissing him lightly. She pulled away and gazed into her husband's mesmerizing eyes. "Why don't you go find Steph and tell her it's time for dinner?"

"I'll do it!" Rich volunteered. When Chris and Jess both looked at him, he grinned at them. "What?"

"You guys don't get along," Chris reminded him. "So why in the world would you want to go get her?"

"Because I'm a nice guy," Rich answered with a shrug, but they could all see the wicked little glint in his eyes. He grinned again, resembling the Grinch for a minute, then disappeared out the door. "Be right back!"

"He's up to something. I can feel it," Chris said, looking over at the door where Rich was no longer standing. "Something sneaky that Steph's not going to like very much."

"You know your friends," Jess said, shrugging. She turned around. "Mind helping me set the table?"

"Sure, I'll help," he said absently. He wondered what Rich could possibly be up to, and he hoped that Steph wouldn't get too mad...

Rich knew exactly where Stephanie had gone with Ash, because after he had put his luggage in the guest house, he had seen her from the window. She was sitting under a big tree in the backyard with Ash in her lap, looking out over the lake. He had watched her for quite some time before going to unpack his stuff...

When he walked over to the big tree, she was still sitting there, and Ash was on her lap fast asleep.

"Yeah, so that's how I met your dad," Stephanie finished.

"Oh, how sweet," Rich said, startling her. "Did you just tell Ash the story of how you met Chris...again?"

"Shut up," she said with an exasperated sigh. She looked up at him. "What do you want anyway, weirdo?"

He sat down next to her. "I was told to come get you for dinner," he said, looking at her. He looked down at the little boy in her lap. "Looks like your story put Ash to sleep. Are you always that boring?"

"You don't even know me," she said, shaking her head. She looked back out over the lake and held the boy a little tighter against her, biting her lip with a serious expression on her face.

"Why so serious, Steph?" he asked, brow furrowing. She usually never gave in this quick. She was always quick to come back with a witty comment, and the fact that she had basically given up so soon confused him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing you'd be interested in knowing," she said after a few moments of silence. She stood up and slowly started walking towards the main house, carefully holding Ash so he wouldn't wake up. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take Ash in the house now."

"You're pretty good with him," he said seriously, getting up and catching up to her. He fell into step beside her and looked at her. "Do you plan on having kids?"

She sighed. "I did, once upon a time. I doubt that's ever going to happen now."

"Why not?" he asked. "I'm sure there are some willing guys out there. I mean, lots of guys would be willing to be Stephanie McMahon's 'baby's daddy' or whatever."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever," she said, one hand gently patting Ash on the back.

"Ok, what happened to you in the last hour? At first, you loved arguing with me, and now you're all...submissive," he said, frowning. "What the hell?"

"Like you'd care to know," she said, sighing again.

"How would you know if I cared to know?" he demanded.

"Just drop it, Rich," she said in a tired voice as they reached the house.

"Fine, for now," he said, opening the door for her. He watched her walk into the kitchen, and then he followed her inside and shut the door behind her. They walked into the dining room, where Chris and Jess were talking about something or other.

"Ash fell asleep," Stephanie said simply when the married couple looked at her. "Should I wake him up so he can have dinner or not?"

"Let's take him up to his room," Jess suggested. "Poor little thing, he's probably exhausted..."

"That would make two of us," Stephanie replied. She and Jess walked out of the kitchen, already deep in conversation. The two men watched them go without speaking.

Finally, Rich broke the silence. "What's wrong with Stephanie?" he asked curiously.

"She's just going through some rough times right now with her family," Chris answered, still looking at the door his wife, his son, and his best female friend had disappeared through. He looked at Rich. "Why do you want to know? Did something happen when you went to get her just now?"

"Not really," Rich said, looking away. "It's just, you know how we always argue and everything?"

"That's all you guys do," Chris said, shaking his head. "I wish you could just get along with her, and vice versa."

"It's always fun to argue with her, though. She's witty, and it makes conversation with her interesting as hell. She must really hate me now, man," Rich said with a sigh.

"Steph doesn't hate anyone," Chris said matter-of-factly. "She loves everyone, but that doesn't mean that she has to _like_ everyone."

"Well, I get the feeling that she doesn't like me," Rich said. "But something must really be wrong with her because she didn't even take the bait when I went out there to get her."

"Like I said, Steph's going through some rough times right now," Chris said, looking down at the floor. He felt bad for Stephanie, for all of the crap she was going through, for all the crap she had been forced to go through in her life. "I want to help her through it. That's part of the reason she's here."

"To get away from it all," Rich said thoughtfully. "Seems like she really loves spending time with Ash, too. I asked her if she planned on having kids, and she said that she doubted it would ever happen now."

"Poor Steph. Kids are a really sensitive subject for her," Chris said, looking sad.

"Why?" Rich wanted to know.

"If I tell you something, you have to promise never to talk about it with anyone," Chris said, biting his lip. "I mean, this secret goes no further than this room. It stays between _us_."

"Tell me already!" Rich said as curiosity got the best of him.

"Around the same time that Jess got pregnant with Ash, Steph got pregnant with her first child. She was really happy about it, but her happiness didn't last very long..." Chris's voice trailed off.

"What happened? Did she...lose it?" Rich asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah, she lost it," Chris admitted softly, looking away. "And we...she...was heartbroken about it... Really upset."

"Damn," Rich muttered, shaking his head sadly. "That had to be hell for her."

"Yeah, but eventually she got over it. She took a strong liking to Ash, though. She would've made a great mom," Chris said with a heavy sigh. "Now, she has other family problems on her mind... But I'm sure that pregnancy is still a touchy subject for her."

"I can see that now." Rich sat down in a chair at the table and looked down at his hands. "Poor Steph."

"I never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth in a sincere tone," Chris joked, but Rich didn't laugh. Chris looked at him. "Remember, this conversation stays between us."

"Right, between us," Rich said, but his voice was distant. He looked up as Stephanie and Jess entered the dining room, and his eyes lingered on Stephanie. How had he not seen what a sad woman she was before? How much pain she was in? Even though they'd had their ups and downs, he found it hard to be upset with her now. He'd never really hated her, but damn, a miscarriage? He wouldn't wish that on his worst enemy...

"I'm going to go start bringing the food in," Jess said. She looked at her husband. "Help me?"

Chris looked at Stephanie and Rich, then back at his wife. "Ok," he answered, feeling kind of apprehensive about leaving the two alone, especially after what he'd just told Rich. He knew that Rich wasn't a bad guy, but when it came to Stephanie, he didn't know what Rich would pull next. Still feeling apprehensive, he followed his wife out of the dining room and into the kitchen, leaving his two best friends alone in the dining room.

Stephanie sat down at the table in a chair directly across from Rich and looked at him. "And what the hell are you looking at?" she asked snidely, trying to get back into her usual routine with him. He annoyed her, but she had to admit that arguing with him was fun sometimes.

"You," Rich replied solemnly. "Are you ok?"

"I'm as perfect as I've always been," she answered, cocking her head sideways and looking at him suspiciously. "What's up your ass, Ward?"

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "I just... It seemed like something was wrong with you and-"

"And don't tell me, you got worried?" she finished, smirking at him.

_She's back to her usual self_, he thought, feeling a little better. "Yeah, I got worried... Worried that you wouldn't be feeling up to going out tonight and making my money on the corner."

"_Your_ money?" she scoffed. "Are you implying that you're some kind of a pimp?"

"Well duh," he said, as if it had been obvious. "And you're my main ho."

"Right," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I always am," he replied.

"You are such a loser," she muttered, looking away.

"And you're so loose," he said right away. "What was it someone once said about you? Something about flying an airplane through the Grand Canyon? Something like that?"

She looked up at him and her mouth dropped. "That was a low blow, Rich," she said, shoving her chair back and getting up. "A really low blow."

Chris walked back into the dining room just in time to see Stephanie disappear out the door. He looked quizzically at Rich, who looked surprised. "What the hell did you do to her, man?"

"Nothing, I swear," Rich said, holding his hands up as if to say he was innocent. "We were back to the usual arguing and then I said she was loose, and then I brought up that little joke someone made about her being like the Grand Canyon and-"

"Rich!" Chris exclaimed. "You actually brought that up again?"

"It was funny," Rich protested. "We were just doing our usual back and forth thing."

"God, she must be really upset now," Chris said, holding one hand up to run his fingers through his hair. "When Jess comes in here, tell her I'll be right back, ok? I have to go check on Steph."

"Sure, I'll tell..." Rich didn't finish his sentence, because by then Chris had already bolted out the door after Stephanie.

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, you guys. I still don't know where this story came from, but it had to be written... A new muse has appeared, and it's bugging me!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Stephanie hurried over to the guest house and stepped inside. She sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands, willing the tears not to come. Why had Rich mentioned that stupid Grand Canyon comment? It made her think of Hunter, and memories of Hunter always made her cry.

"Steph, honey, are you ok?" Chris asked, coming into the guest house. He saw her sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. _Damn it, Rich!_ he thought, shutting the door and walking over to her. He sat down next to her and put his arms around her. "Talk to me, Steph."

"Did Rich tell you what he said to me?" she asked, leaning against him.

"Yes, and I'm really sorry about that," he whispered soothingly, squeezing her lightly. "I promise you, he didn't know how that simple joke would affect you, or else he wouldn't have said it. He's not a cruel person, really."

"I know," she said, a tear slipping out of her eye. "But it made me think of Hunter, and you know how I hate thinking of him."

"I know," he said, rubbing her back gently. "I know."

"Hunter hurt me, Chris," she whispered, closing her eyes tight. "He hurt me bad."

"I know, Steph," he said quietly. Thoughts of everything Stephanie had gone through with Hunter filled his mind, and he felt seemingly angry blood rushing through him. "Just try to forget about him. We're _done_ with him."

"You're right," she said finally, taking a shaky breath. "We're done with him. He's no longer a part of our lives."

"Right. And we don't want him to be," he went on. He looked at her again. "You want to come have dinner now?"

She sat up straighter and thought about it for a while. "You know, I think I'll just stay here," she said, after mentally debating on the issue. "But tell Jess thanks for cooking dinner."

"Steph, I wouldn't feel right having dinner without you," he said.

"I'll be fine," she said sincerely. "I'm a big girl now."

"I don't want to leave you alone," he said, looking into her eyes. He licked his lips slightly as he looked at her.

"It's ok. I'm used to being alone now," she said softly, returning his gaze. "So it's ok, really."

"It shouldn't have to be that way," he whispered, fingers softly touching her cheek. "You shouldn't have to be used to being alone."

"I am, though," she said, moving his hand from her face. She squeezed his hand lightly and forced herself to smile. "Go back in your house, Chris, and have dinner with your wife."

"Fine," he said, standing up. As he stood up, he pulled her to her feet as well. "But I'm coming back to check on you after dinner, later on tonight," he went on, hugging her to him. "I'm going to help you get through this, through _everything_. I promise..." He was no longer just talking about the joke Rich had said to her. He was talking about the real reason she'd decided to come stay at his house for the next few weeks.

"I believe you," she replied in a low voice. She hugged him back, taking a moment to breathe in the fresh scent of his hair shampoo and his cologne. She closed her eyes for a minute, thinking, wondering what she'd done to deserve Chris as a best friend. She was just very lucky, and she was grateful for him.

He pulled away after a moment. "You sure you don't want to come back to the house with me?" He knew that there was really no point in trying to persuade her to come in for dinner, but he felt that he had to at least try.

"I'm positive, Chris," she answered. She tucked some of his hair behind his ear. "And don't forget to tell Jess what I said about dinner."

He smiled at her, then headed for the door. "You're so stubborn," he joked.

"I know..." She watched him leave, then sat back down on the couch. Chris was right. Hunter was no longer in their lives, and she would get through this rough spot in her life. Hadn't she gotten through the hard times after she'd lost their..._her_...baby? Chris had helped her through that, and he would help her through this. As long as she had Chris, she knew that she would be ok...

Chris walked back to the main house and stepped inside. He made his way back into the dining room, where Jess and Rich were waiting patiently. They had yet to touch their dinner.

"Oh, you didn't have to wait for me," Chris said, sitting down at the table.

"We wanted to," Jess said, smiling at him.

"Where's Steph?" Rich asked worriedly. He glanced at the door a few times, like he was expecting for her to appear in the doorway, but she didn't.

"Stephanie won't be joining us for dinner this evening," Chris said. "She's...feeling a little _down_ right now." He looked pointedly at Rich, who bowed his head.

"I didn't mean to upset her that bad," Rich said with a sigh. "Maybe I should go apologize."

"That would be nice, but that's totally up to you," Chris answered.

"I'll be right back," Rich said, getting up quickly. "But go ahead and start dinner without me."

"Rich?" Chris said. His friend turned to look at him. "Please be careful with Steph. Despite that tough exterior she seems to have...she's really very vulnerable inside. Watch what you say."

"Believe me, I've learned that lesson. Now I'm going to go apologize," Rich said, then disappeared into the kitchen.

Jess looked at Chris with wide eyes. "Did I miss something, or did Rich just say that he was going to _apologize_ to Stephanie?"

"He said it," Chris said, looking at her. "I just hope he does it, and in the right way."

"What did he do to her?" she asked curiously.

"He mentioned this joke Hunter once said about her," he said. "You know which one I'm talking about."

"The one about the Grand Canyon?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded. "Oh no. Poor Steph!" she exclaimed, shaking her head sadly. "Am I right to guess that she's thinking about Hunter now?"

"Unfortunately, yeah," he answered. "And maybe she's thinking about when she lost the baby, too... I get the feeling that she was feeling a little down about that, too, after I talked to Rich a little while ago when you and Steph were taking Ash upstairs."

"Oh, poor Steph!" she exclaimed again. "I honestly don't know what I would've done if I'd lost Ash."

Chris thought about the baby that Stephanie had lost. He had been just as devastated about the loss as she'd been, if not more. Only he and Stephanie had known the true identity of the baby's father, and that man had been Chris. Of course, they had never slept together. It had been complicated. Stephanie had wanted a baby more than anything in the world, and Hunter had been basically "shooting blanks" every time they tried to conceive. Stephanie had been desperate, and she had came to Chris with the idea of invitro fertilization...

To make a long story short, Chris had basically donated the sperm that had eventually gotten Stephanie pregnant. They had gone through the professional procedures, and neither Hunter nor Jess knew about it. Everyone thought the baby was Hunter's, and they'd done nothing to tell people otherwise. Chris had never cheated on Jess, and he didn't plan on doing it anytime in the future, near or far. He'd only done a favor for a friend, a favor that he had purposely neglected to tell his wife about. She didn't need to know, so he would never tell her.

And besides, the baby hadn't made it, anyway...

"Honey? Hello, you still there?" Jess asked, momentarily breaking Chris out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm still here. I was just thinking about something," he answered, shaking his head to try to get rid of the thoughts. Those kinds of thoughts were depressing. He hated having to live with the knowledge that one of his children had survived and the other one hadn't. Ouite simply, it sucked.

"You haven't touched your food yet," Jess pointed out.

"I know," he said. "It's just... I hope Rich doesn't upset Steph even more..."

Rich entered the guest house and saw Stephanie sitting on the couch looking blankly at the TV in front of her. He closed the door quietly behind him and walked over to the middle of the room. He stood there, directly blocking her view of the TV and of whatever she had been watching. She kept looking in the same direction, and he couldn't shake the creepy feeling that she was looking right through him.

"You can't ignore me forever," he said finally, when the silence became too loud for him.

"I'm not ignoring you," she replied, looking up at his face. "I'm just thinking."

"Oh." He bit his lip nervously. "Mind if I sit next to you?"

"Be my guest," she said, looking away.

He walked over and sat down next to her. This was going to be difficult for him, because apologizing just wasn't his specialty. He hadn't apologized to his wife when they'd had their last argument. In his opinion, apologizing was a sign of weakness. Instead, he'd opted to come to Chris's house, and now he was on the verge of apologizing to Stephanie. How ironic was that?

Something was definitely wrong with this picture.

"Ok, I'm not very good at this, but I'm going to give it a try," he began, turning to look at her. "I didn't know how that comment I made was going to affect you. If I had known how that comment I made was going to affect you... If I had known it would upset you so much, I never would've said it." He paused, taking a momentary break from his rambling. "I guess what I'm trying to say is-"

"It's ok," she said, leaning back on the couch and looking at him. "It was an honest mistake." He looked at her, his mouth a wide "O" of surprise, and she just smiled. "You know, Rich, with your mouth like that... You kind of remind me of a-"

"Don't ruin a good moment," he interrupted, standing up. He held out his hand to her. "Let's go have dinner."

"I already told Chris that I wasn't coming, and he accepted it," she said.

"You should know by now that I'm not Chris," he said. "Let's go."

"Fine," she grumbled, getting to her feet. She was annoyed at the authoritative tone in his voice, but she admired his persistence. "But I'm only going because I'm hungry, _not_ because you ordered me to."

"No, you're going because I'm The Duke. You're going because you know that I'm the master," he teased as they headed for the door.

"Yeah, right," she laughed, shoving him lightly. "Master of what? The toilet?"

He thought he felt a little jolt of electricity when she touched him as she shoved him, but the feeling passed just as quickly as it had come. He shook his head, then dismissed it. "Yes," he said, holding the door for her so she could go out ahead of him. "I'm master of the toilet."

**A/N: I know, I know, this doesn't need to be another Chris/Steph story. I'm really trying to _not_ turn it into a Chris/Steph thing, I promise! But who knows what's going to happen...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Well look who decided to come for dinner," Rich said, standing at the entrance to the dining room. Chris and Jess both looked up from their dinner with raised eyebrows. Rich put on his best ring announcer's voice. "And making her entrance into the dining room, weighing in at only God knows how many tons... From the murky depths of hell, Stepha- Ow!"

"Your mom," Stephanie said, entering the dining room after punching Rich on the arm. She sat down in the seat she'd been sitting at before and looked at Chris, smiling.

"Steph, you came back," Chris said, awed. "You were adamant about staying in the guest house... What made you change your mind?"

"This loser right here," Stephanie said, nodding her head at Rich, who was still rubbing his arm where she'd hit him. "Oh, did I hurt you?" she asked, feigning concern.

"Yes," Rich grumbled, sitting down next to her instead of in the place he'd been sitting at before. She leaned over to touch his arm where she'd punched him and he backed away out of her reach. "Oh, don't touch me... You're destructive, woman!"

Stephanie laughed, then looked at Chris. "Why are you best friends with a wimp like him?" she asked in a teasing voice. She felt a million times better and she didn't know if it was because of Chris or because of Rich. She was comforted by the fact that Chris was there for her when she needed him, and she was, for lack of better words, amused with Rich. Very amused.

Chris didn't answer. Instead, he silently observed Stephanie from across the table, wondering why she was in such a good mood. Was it because of Rich? He wanted to believe that he _himself_ had something to do with that smile on his best female friend's face, but he didn't know.

"I'm glad you decided to come back, Steph," Jess said, smiling across the table at her. "I don't think I would've been able to have dinner with these two." She looked at Rich. "So what did you do to get her back here?"

"Yeah," Chris interrupted, looking at Rich. "How did you persuade her to come back over here? Even _I_ couldn't do that, and I'm her best friend."

"Well..." Rich's voice trailed off as he looked over at Stephanie. He caught her eye and grinned deviously before looking over at Chris. "I don't kiss and tell, Chris. You know that."

"Kiss? What?" Chris dropped his fork on his plate and stood up, glaring at his two best friends. "You two _kissed_? What the hell is that all about?"

"Whoa, whoa, relax," Rich said, holding his hands up in defense. "I'm just kidding with you. I didn't kiss her."

"Come on, Chris, you know I'd never let _him_ kiss me," Stephanie piped up, rolling her eyes at Rich. "Believe me, if he'd even _tried_ to kiss me at the guest house, he'd be half-dead by now."

"Don't joke around like that," Chris said to Rich, letting out a deep breath before sitting back down. "That almost gave me a heart attack."

"What would be so bad about them kissing?" Jess asked.

"For one, he's married," Chris pointed out, looking at his wife. "And... They're my two best friends. Do you know how weird that would be, if they were all kissing and fooling around?"

"Yeah, that would be pretty weird," Jess agreed.

"Not to mention disgusting," Rich added, looking at Stephanie. "I mean, who knows how many guys she's had her mouth wrapped around?"

Stephanie laughed out loud. "Oh, do you really wanna go there?"

"I think I just did," Rich pointed out.

"Bad choice, Ward," Stephanie said, shaking her head like she pitied him. "Very bad choice."

"See, honey? There's no way those two could ever kiss," Jess said quietly into her husband's ear. "Look at them. All they ever do is argue with each other."

"Yeah, I guess," Chris said, watching his two best friends trading insults like they normally did. He looked down at his plate. It was going to be a long dinner...

**An hour later...**

"Wow, Jess, dinner was absolutely great," Stephanie said, leaning back in her chair. "I think I must've gained, like, a few pounds here."

Rich reached over and daringly put his hand on Stephanie's stomach. "Yeah, you do feel kind of bloated," he said with a grin.

"I can't believe your nerve!" Stephanie snapped, slapping his hand away. "You dare to touch me?"

"I just did, didn't I?" Rich asked, still grinning. Inside, though, his mind was reeling. He'd felt it again, that little jolt of electricity when he touched her. What did it mean?

"God, you're weird," Stephanie said, rolling her eyes at him. She stood up and started to clear the table. "I'll help you with the dishes, Jess."

"Oh, no, that's ok," Jess said. "I'll get it. You're a guest, remember?"

"This place is like my second home. I'll help you," Stephanie insisted.

"Actually, why don't you and I get the dishes, Steph?" Chris suggested, standing up as well. He helped her clear the table. "I mean, Jess worked so hard to make dinner, and I want to talk to you..."

"Um, ok," Stephanie said, nodding. She headed over to the door leading into the kitchen, then turned back to look at Rich. "If you go over to the guest house, don't try anything silly with my stuff."

"You know, I didn't plan on it, but now that you've mentioned it..." Rich's voice trailed off, and he grinned that devious smile of his. "You just gave me a great idea..."

"Don't you even think about it," Stephanie said. "Or... You'll regret it, I swear."

"What're you gonna do, beat me up?" Rich taunted. "Slap me around?"

"Maybe," Stephanie answered, and then she disappeared into the kitchen.

Chris followed her into the kitchen and shut the door behind him. He walked over to where Stephanie was standing and just looked at her a minute before speaking. "So what's going on with you and Rich?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, putting the dishes down and turning to look at him. "We're just doing what we always do... Insult each other, argue with each other..."

"_Flirt_ with each other," he added.

"Flirt? Me and him?" she scoffed. "No way."

He put the dishes he was holding down and stepped a little closer to her. "Are you sure, Steph? Because I was sensing something else between you two, and, to be perfectly honest, it seemed a lot like flirting...and I don't like it."

"Chrissy, there's nothing going on with us," she said sincerely. "He amuses me, that's all." She smiled at him, reaching over to place a hand on his arm. "So don't worry that pretty blonde head of yours about it."

"You sure?" he asked, putting one hand on her hip and pulling her a little closer to him. "You positive?"

"Yes, I'm positive," she answered, her hand still on his arm as she stared into his eyes. She'd never noticed how deep they were. _They're endless_, she thought as she looked at him. _And so blue_.

"Good," he said, bending his head slightly as he looked at her. He looked at her lips as he leaned closer, then back into her eyes. "Steph..."

"Chris, what are you doing?" she breathed, eyes wide as his face neared hers. "Your wife's right in the next room..."

He licked his lips, pressing his chest against hers, feeling how warm she was. "I don't know what I'm doing, Steph... I just...want to help you get through everything..."

"You've helped me so much already," she whispered, moving her hand up his arm and behind his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair. "But this isn't right..."

"I know," he whispered back, lips an inch away from hers. "But I don't care... Steph..."

_Oh my God, he's going to kiss me!_ she thought, closing her eyes. She felt his lips press against hers, soft and warm, and immediately she pulled away, kind of shocked. "Chris," she whispered, fingers still tangled through his hair. "What are we doing?"

"I don't know," he whispered back, and then he leaned closer again...

"Getting those dishes cleaned, Steph?" Rich asked loudly, coming into the kitchen and shutting the door behind him. He stopped in his tracks as he looked at the two basically in each other's arms. "Whoa, what's going on in here?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all," Chris said, abruptly moving away from Stephanie and leaning against the counter. "We were just talking, that's all."

"Didn't look much like talking to me," Rich said, eyes narrowed. "I mean, damn, dude, it looked like you were really close to kissing her..."

"I totally wasn't. Jess is right in the next room," Chris objected. He looked at Stephanie, then nervously ran his fingers through his hair and looked back at Rich. "Don't make crazy accusations, dude."

"Um, this is getting kind of uncomfortable for me," Stephanie said, speaking for the first time since Rich had entered the kitchen. "I'm going to go back over to the guest house, if you guys don't mind."

"Oh, it's no problem. It's getting pretty late, anyway," Chris said, looking at her. "Sleep well tonight."

"I will. You, too," Stephanie replied, pressing her fingers to her lips. Then she turned and practically ran from the room, headed for the guest house...

Chris and Rich both watched her go, and then Rich turned back to Chris. "Dude, what was that?"

"I don't know, man," Chris answered, biting his lip. "One minute we were talking about you and her flirting at dinner, and the next thing I know, I'm leaning in to kiss her... I seriously don't know what the hell just happened."

"Me neither," Rich said, looking at the dishes still sitting by the sink. "But I know you guys didn't even start on the dishes."

"I think I need to go to sleep or something," Chris said, shaking his head. "It's been a long day, man..."

"Want me to help you with these dishes?" Rich asked.

"No, it's ok," Chris said. "I'm just gonna put them in the dishwasher, then go take a shower and hit the sack."

"Ok, well I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Rich said, and then he left the kitchen, leaving Chris all alone.

Chris leaned against the counter and closed his eyes, thinking about what he had just done to Stephanie. _Did I really just kiss her? My best female friend?_ he wondered. _With my wife in the next room?_ He let out a deep breath, then got started on the dishes. He needed a distraction, and the dishes were available to distract him...

Stephanie rummaged around in her bag, grabbing some clothes and things she would need for a shower. She felt kind of out of it, after the little episode back in the kitchen with Chris. One minute, they'd been talking about whether or not she'd been flirting with Rich, and the next minute, they had been dangerously close to kissing... They _had_ kissed. What had she been thinking, just standing there in his arms, _letting him_ kiss her? She shook her head, then headed for the shower. She needed to clear her mind...

When she came out about thirty minutes later, she walked into the bedroom, only to find Rich sitting on the bed in his shorts, flipping through the channels on the TV. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his hair was wet. He had obviously gone into the other bathroom to take a shower when she was taking hers. "Ok, why the hell are you in my bed?" she asked.

"I wanna talk to you," he said simply, looking at her. "Why don't you take a seat right here?" He patted the spot next to him on the bed and grinned up at her.

"I'd prefer not to," she said, walking over to stand in front of him. She folded her arms across her chest and looked down at him, one perfectly arched eyebrow raised. "Now what do you want?"

"What was about to happen back there in the kitchen?" he asked, getting straight to the point. "I mean, what did I walk in on?"

"Hell if I know," she said, looking away as she remembered what had happened. She couldn't tell Rich the whole truth, though. "I mean, we were just talking...about me supposedly flirting with you, and then all of a sudden I was in his arms. I don't even know how it happened."

"So he didn't kiss you, but he was about to?" he asked, trying to fully understand what he'd walked in on.

"It would seem that way, yeah," she replied, looking at him. "Why?"

"Did you want him to kiss you?" he asked seriously.

"What kind of question is that?" she asked, frowning at him.

"It's a simple question, Steph, really," he said, standing up in front of her. She backed away a little, and he stepped closer again. "Did you want Chris to kiss you?"

"Yes... No... I don't know, ok!" she exclaimed, looking at him. "I mean, he's... It's been a really long time since I've...you know."

"So you would've let him kiss you?" he asked, stepping even closer to her. "Even though he's married?" She looked down at the ground, and he tilted her chin back up so she would look at him.

"Clearly, I wasn't thinking," she said quietly. "And besides, it didn't happen..."

"But you would've kissed a married man?" he asked, moving his hand from her chin to her shoulder.

"I told you, I wasn't thinking," she repeated, looking into his eyes. "Maybe I would've, but it didn't happen... And why the hell are you asking me so many questions, anyway?"

"Because I was curious," he said in a low voice. "Curious to know what the real Stephanie McMahon is all about...and now I think I'm starting to get an idea." He smiled at her, then leaned a little closer, looking at her lips.

"What are you doing?" she asked, although she knew exactly what he was doing.

"You already know," he said shortly, right before he kissed her... He didn't know why he was kissing her. He practically despised her! But that didn't matter, because today he had seen another side of her, a side he'd never seen before. She had a vulnerable side. Things had happened to her, things that made him see her as human for the very first time, although he'd been knowing her for quite some time.

"Rich, what are you thinking? You're married, too, and we don't like each other at all," she whispered against his lips. She pulled back and looked at him, licking her lips, unconsciously savoring his taste.

"So what?" he said, shrugging. "You haven't been with someone in a long time, Julie's not here with me... The way I see it, why not?"

"I don't know..." Her voice trailed off. She wasn't that kind of woman...

"Oh, just go with it," he ordered, right before he kissed her again.

This time was different, though...

This time, she kissed him back...

**A/N: I'm so torn! It's like, I'm so used to having Chris with Steph, so it's really hard to make her hook up with anybody else... I think I had to have some kind of interaction between those two in this chapter before anything happened with Steph and Rich...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Chris looked up at the ceiling in the dark, thinking, trying his hardest to figure out why he had done what he'd done. He had kissed Stephanie, his best friend, and his wife had been right in the other room. Here he was, supposedly helping Stephanie with her many problems, and instead he had gone and created another one. She was still trying to get over Hunter, even though she had been divorced for nearly a year, and there Chris had gone and made a move on her. Would she ever look at him the same way again?

"Are you ok?" Jess asked, scooting over to snuggle against him.

"Yeah, I guess," he said in an unconvincing tone, putting his arm around his wife. "I'm just thinking."

"About?" she asked curiously.

"Something stupid I did tonight to Steph, and we'll leave it at that," he said, still looking up at the ceiling.

She knew not to argue with him because she could tell that he was in one of his little moods, so she decided to change the subject. "Do you think Steph and Rich are getting along now?"

"Who knows?" he asked, answering her question with a question. He knew that Rich had probably gone and asked Stephanie what had happened between them back in the kitchen, and he could only hope that Stephanie hadn't revealed the fact that he had actually kissed her.

"I still wonder how Rich got her to come to dinner when you couldn't," she said curiously. "Makes me wonder about those two."

"He probably annoyed her until she got up and came," he replied, closing his eyes. He could still remember dinner, the jokes, the teasing...the touching... "They seemed to be flirting a lot at dinner, and I didn't really like it."

"It didn't seem like flirting to me. It was just their usual arguing," she said thoughtfully. "But they were a bit touchy-feely."

"God, don't remind me," he said, trying not to think about it. "I need to get some sleep, and so do you."

"You sure all you want to do is sleep?" she asked in a suggestive tone, running her hand across his chest. "Because I have _other_ things in mind..."

"Oh, really?" he asked in a knowing voice, opening his eyes. He looked at her and smiled when he saw the look on her face. "Why don't you show me?"

She grinned at him as she leaned closer to kiss him. "Why, I thought you'd never ask..."

**The next morning...**

Stephanie awoke the next morning to the feeling of a warm body lying next to her. She felt hair on her shoulder that wasn't hers, and she closed her eyes and silently prayed that she hadn't gotten drunk the night before and done something totally stupid with Chris. She held her breath for a minute, then turned to look at the person lying next to her. When she saw Rich lying there, she covered her mouth with her hands so she wouldn't scream.

She sat up, and the events of the previous night rushed back to her. She could remember how offended she'd gotten over Rich's reminder of the Grand Canyon comment, how Chris had come over to the guest house to comfort her and make sure she was ok. She had gone over to have dinner with them after a little persuasion from Rich. Dinner had gone relatively well with the usual teasing between her and Rich, but after dinner was when things had gotten weird. Chris had volunteered to do the dishes with her, but they hadn't gotten any dishes done at all.

"He kissed me," she whispered aloud, touching her lips and remembering how Chris had pulled her to him and kissed her softly. Of course, that hadn't been much of a kiss, because Rich had walked in on them right before they could share a _real_ kiss.

Rich... Stephanie looked down at him and thought that he looked so innocent, sleeping the way that he was. She'd never seen him look so innocent... But he wasn't innocent at all, if what they'd done last night was any indication. She looked away from him, thinking. She didn't know how what they'd done have even happened. She'd gotten out of the shower and found him waiting for her with no shirt on. He had wanted to talk about what he had walked in on, but she had just covered it up, saying that the kiss hadn't happened.

And then he'd kissed her.

It was crazy, really, because when he had kissed her the second time, she'd kissed him back. And when they had made their way over to the bed and fell onto it, all tangled up together, she hadn't pushed him away. In fact, she had pulled him closer...

The things they had done...

"What are you thinking about?" Rich asked in a low voice.

"I...um... Are you talking to me?" Stephanie asked, not looking at him. Yeah, it was easy to look at him while he slept, but she couldn't meet his gaze now that he was wide awake. She felt...embarrassed. And besides being embarrassed, she felt _dirty_. She'd slept with a married man, something she had damned Trish Stratus for doing in the past with her father... _God, I'm just like her!_ she thought, and she got up, pulling the comforter off the bed with her.

"Where are you going?" he asked, sitting up and looking at her with one eyebrow raised. "And of course I'm talking to you. You're the only person in here."

"Oh." She shifted uncomfortably and pulled the comforter closer as she slowly backed towards the door leading to the bathroom. "I guess I am... I didn't realize that."

"Man, I guess The Duke really put it on you last night, huh, Princess?" he joked, standing up and pulling his boxers on. "I mean, I must've been good because you're kinda out of it this morning."

"You're so full of yourself!" she exclaimed. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door, but not before hearing his last words.

"And last night, so were you."

"Shit," she muttered, leaning against the closed door. "What have I done?"

Over in the main house, Chris was standing in the kitchen, looking through the glass doors over at the guest house. He wondered if Stephanie was awake yet, and if so, was she mad at him for kissing her? He sighed as he stared over at the entrance to the guest house, mentally willing the door to open so Stephanie could come out.

"You're up early," Jess said from behind him. "What's wrong?"

He didn't even turn to look at her. "Just wondering how Steph and Rich got along last night. You know, and hoping they didn't kill each other over there."

"I'm sure they didn't," she said. "They might argue a lot, but they'd never do anything to hurt you."

"You think so?"

"You're the one thing they have in common," she assured him. "Rich knows that if he killed Steph, you'd be very, very angry with him, and Steph knows that you'd be pissed if she killed Rich. I'm sure they got along ok last night."

He turned to look at her and tried to smile, but found that he couldn't. "I really appreciate your attempt to make me laugh...but it's not working." He saw the crestfallen look on her face and quickly went on. "But I love you that much more for trying." He kissed her lightly on the forehead and tucked her hair back behind her ear.

She smiled up at him. "I'm going to go get dressed so I can get breakfast started," she said, pulling her robe a little tighter around her slim figure. "Could you do me a favor and check on Ash?"

"No problem," he replied. He watched her as she smiled gratefully at him before rushing out of the room to go get dressed. He felt amazingly guilty all of a sudden. Sure, it had just been a kiss, but he was married, and his wife was undoubtedly one of the best things to ever happen to him. She didn't deserve for her husband to be kissing another woman, even if it _was_ the first time it had ever happened...

He walked upstairs and to his son's room and was surprised to find him dressed already, playing in his bed. "Well, Mommy didn't tell me that you were up all ready," Chris said, smiling down at the little boy. Ash reached up, and Chris picked him up. "Don't you think you're getting a bit big for me to be holding?" he asked, and Ash just giggled at him. "Come on, then, and let's go for a little walk..."

Chris and Ash ended up sitting under the same tree Stephanie had gone to sit under the day before. Chris looked out over the lake and sighed. "Daddy made a big mess of things with Aunt Steph," he said softly, remembering the kiss from the night before. "And now I think Aunt Steph is mad at me. Really mad."

"Mad?" Ash repeated in his little baby voice.

"Yes, mad," Chris confirmed, wondering if his son could really understand what he was saying. "I haven't seen her this morning. Do you think I should call her cell phone or just go over to the guest house and see her?" He waited for an answer, and when he didn't get one, he decided to make it a little easier. "See or call?"

"Call," Ash said, just repeating the last thing he had heard.

"I can't believe I'm taking advice from a two year old," Chris said, shaking his head. "As far as true friends go, I don't have many...so I can't afford losing Steph over this." He pulled out his Sidekick II and soon he had the phone up to his ear, listening to it ring and hoping that Stephanie would answer.

"Hey, Princess, your phone is ringing!" Rich called.

"Leave me alone!" Stephanie called back. She was still locked in the bathroom, and she had no intentions of going out until she was sure that he wasn't there.

"Fine, but I looked at your Caller ID, and it's Chris, so I'm going to answer it," Rich said. He picked up the phone, which just happened to be a Sidekick II just like Chris's, and answered it. "Hello?"

"Rich?" Chris asked, raising one eyebrow. "Why are you answering Stephanie's phone?"

"She locked herself in the bathroom so I decided to answer her phone for her," Rich said.

"Why'd she lock herself in the bathroom?" Chris asked worriedly. "Is it because of last night?"

"You know about last night?" Rich asked incredulously.

"Of course I know about... Wait, what happened last night?"

Rich relaxed a little. "Steph and I...got into an argument last night. It's just the usual," he lied.

"Oh, you had me worried there for a second," Chris said, laughing nervously. "Could you let me speak to Steph now?"

"If she'll come out of the bathroom," Rich said, walking over to the closed bathroom door. He knocked lightly. "Stephanie? Chris wants to speak to you!"

"I won't talk to him unless you leave," Stephanie said, looking over at the toilet. She didn't know why she was looking at the toilet, but she was, and soon she found herself wishing that she could flush herself down the toilet, just to get out of this predicament...

"Fine, I'll put the phone down on the bed and leave," Rich said. "And I'll even close the door and lock it so you'll feel all nice and safe," he added sarcastically. To Chris, he said, "She'll talk to you in a sec. I have to leave first."

Chris waited for Rich to leave. About a minute later, he heard the phone being picked up.

"Chris, is that you?" Stephanie asked in a low voice.

"Yeah, it's me," he answered. "Are you upset with me?"

"Why would I be upset with you?" she asked.

"You know, because of last night in the kitchen," he reminded her. "I don't know what came over me, and I don't know why I got so jealous of the way you and Rich were acting at dinner. You know I'm not like that."

"I know..." Her voice trailed off, and she gripped the phone a little tighter. "How long is Rich going to be staying here?"

"A couple of days, I think," he replied. "Why?"

"Because I... I don't want to stay in the guest house with him anymore," she whispered. "Do you think I could sleep over in the main house until he leaves? Like, would that be ok with Jess?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine with her," he said. "Rich told me about that argument that you two had last night. It was that bad, huh?"

"You have no idea," she said. _Argument? What argument?_ she thought. "Did Rich...tell you what happened last night?"

"He only told me that you two had an argument," he replied. "Um, do you want me to come help you move your stuff into the main house?"

"That would be... I would really appreciate that," she said softly. "Come on over. I have to get dressed."

"Get dressed?" he repeated, and images of her getting dressed popped into his head. _Shit, what am I thinking? She's my best friend!_ he reminded himself. _And I'm married. I so shouldn't be thinking of her that way..._

"Yeah, I need to get dressed," she said in a low voice. "I'll be ready in a few minutes..."

"Ok, I'm going to take Ash back in the house, and then I'll come over to the guest house."

"Wait, you have Ash? Can you bring him with you?" she asked hopefully. "That little boy... He always cheers me up, no matter what kind of mood I'm in."

"I'll bring him. We'll be there in two minutes," he said. He pressed the end button, then looked at Ash. "Guess you were right, Ash. Calling first was a good idea," he said. He stood up, and together they headed for the guest house.

**A/N: Weird chap, I know! The next one will be better, I hope...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"What's taking him so long?" Stephanie asked herself out loud as she sat on the bed. Chris had told her that he would be there in two minutes, and that he would bring Ash with him. "Well, it's been five minutes," she said with a sigh. She stood up and began pacing the room. "Five long minutes..." Normally she wasn't so impatient, but now she was eager to get out of the guest house and _away_ from Rich...

Chris walked over to the guest house alone. He had planned to take Ash with him, but on his way there, his wife had spotted them and had decided to take Ash in the house with her instead. _I guess it's better this way_, he thought as he reached the guest house. _Steph and I can have some alone time to talk, and then I can find out what her argument with Rich was all about..._

Rich sat in front room of the guest house looking off into space, thinking about the previous night. _Did I really kiss her?_ he asked himself for what seemed to be the hundredth time in a row. _And did I really sleep with her, even though I'm married?_ He sighed and ran a shaky hand through his hair. He didn't even _like_ Stephanie. Sure, he didn't hate her, but the point was that he didn't like her. They'd never really gotten along... He didn't know what had gotten into him the night before. _Guess I'm just used to getting some every night_, he thought with a little smile, but his smile disappeared when the front door opened and Chris stepped inside.

"Hey, man, what are you doing over here?" Rich asked nervously as he stood up and looked at his best friend.

"I came to help Steph move her stuff out of here," Chris said shortly, shrugging a little.

"Is she leaving? Is she going home?" Rich asked hopefully.

"Not exactly. See, she wants to come sleep over in the main house until you leave," Chris said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable discussing Stephanie with Rich. This feeling was new to him, because he had always been able to discuss anything and anyone with Rich, including Stephanie. What made things change all of a sudden? He had no idea...

"Oh," Rich said. He sat back down and closed his eyes. "Did she say why?"

"She just told me that she didn't want to stay here while you were here," Chris said, starting to leave the room. "You two really have to start getting along someday."

"I doubt that'll ever happen," Rich said with a scoff. _Especially after last night..._

Chris walked down the hall to the bedroom at the end, knowing that Stephanie would've claimed the biggest bedroom in the guest house for her own. He was right. He tried to open the door, but it was locked, so he knocked. "Steph, it's me," he called softly. "I'm here to take your luggage over to the main house."

Stephanie flung the door open and pulled him inside, then shut the door. "Thanks for coming," she whispered, just before she launched herself into his arms like a rocket, making him fall back against the door. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Wow, Steph, I was only right next door," he said with a grin, hugging her back. When he heard her sniffling, however, his grin faded away. He pulled away and held her out at arms' length. Observing the unshed tears in her eyes, a look of concern appeared on his face. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"I did something stupid, Chris," she whispered, looking away. "I did something so amazingly stupid, and I'm just so disappointed in myself... I'm so stupid!"

"Shhh, you're not stupid, Steph," he said in a comforting voice. "Everyone does something crazy once in a while. Nobody's perfect, and I don't expect for you to be."

"But I did something horrible last night," she said, still looking away. "It's like a nightmare come true... You're going to be so disappointed in me, Chris, and I don't want you to be."

"I could never be disappointed in you, Steph. You're my best friend, so whatever you did, I'm sure it's not that bad," he said, pulling her to him and hugging her again. "I'm not going to judge you... And honestly, I can't imagine what could be so bad that you're freaking out like this."

"You're going to have this reaction, too," she said, leaning against him. "You're going to be pissed at me, and you're going to be disappointed, too. I just don't know if I should tell you."

"You can tell me anything, you know that." he said. He pulled away, then grabbed her hand and led her over to the bed. He sat down and patted the spot next to him. "Sit down and tell me what's wrong."

"You're not going to like it," she said, sitting down next to him and looking at the floor. "You're really not going to like this..."

"Just tell me, Steph, and we'll figure out what to do next," he said in a persuasive voice. "You know I'm here for you, Baby Girl. You don't have to keep this inside..."

She spoke without looking at him. "I slept with Rich."

He looked at her for a minute, then decided that it was a joke and started laughing. "Great joke, Steph," he laughed. "But now why don't you tell me what's _really_ wrong with you?"

She looked at him, and a few tears escaped from her eyes. "I slept with Rich," she repeated in a voice that barely qualified as a whisper.

He looked at her with a look of disbelief on his face. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "I'm serious."

"B-b-but he's married!" he stammered.

"I know," she said, looking into his eyes. He didn't just look mad, he looked confused. Hurt. She could see the pain in his eyes already, and the disappointment, too. And she hated it.

"And you hate him!" he pointed out. "You've told me so many times how much you just don't like him."

"I know," she repeated.

"So you hate him, and yet you sleep with him? I don't get it..." His voice trailed off, and he shook his head at her as he looked into her eyes. "Damn it, Steph!" he exclaimed after a few moments. He grabbed the luggage he had volunteered to help her move to the main house, then left the room without another word.

"Chris!" she called after him, but he didn't answer her and didn't stop walking to look back. "Well this is just great," she muttered to herself, getting up. "Just great." She hurried after him, but then decided to go back and get her cell phone. She'd give him a few minutes to let the anger dissipate a little. "He can't stay at me for that long," she said aloud, and she wondered if it was true or if she was just trying to comfort herself...

"Chris, man, what's wrong?" Rich asked as Chris came out into the front room with Stephanie's luggage. "You look pissed, dude. You ok?"

"No, I'm not ok," Chris snapped. "I'm the farthest from ok right now that I've ever been. And what's ok, really? What the hell does 'ok' mean?"

"Calm down," Rich said, standing up and walking over to him. "Just calm down and tell me what's wrong with you."

"You know what's wrong with me," Chris said, eyes glittering dangerously. "I can't believe what you did, and you didn't even tell me!"

"What are you talking about?" Rich asked nervously.

"You slept with Stephanie! How could you?" Chris asked angrily. "You're married, and she's vulnerable! And you don't even like her! I could understand if you liked her and it happened. Yeah, I'd still be a little mad at you since you're married to Julie and all, but you don't like her and you never have... I don't know how you could do it."

"It just happened, man. It's not like I planned it," Rich said, running a hand through his hair. "One minute we were standing there and she was telling me why she sort of wanted you to kiss her, and the next minute we were-"

"Don't give me the details," Chris interrupted, holding one hand up. He looked away from Rich. "I'm going to go put Stephanie's luggage into one of the guest rooms in the main house, and then I'm going to go somewhere and be alone... Because right now things couldn't be more screwed up, seriously."

Rich knew that Chris needed some time to cool down, so he didn't say anything else. Trying to defend his actions of the night before would do nothing except make the situation worse, so instead of doing that, he walked out of the front room and headed for the bedroom he should have slept in the night before.

He stopped short of the room door, though, because he heard a muffled noise. It seemed to be coming from the bedroom Stephanie was currently occupying. He took a few steps closer, glancing back a few times just to make sure that Chris wasn't watching him. _If Chris saw me right now, he'd be even more pissed,_ he thought. _Maybe I should just go in my room like I had intended to_...

His curiosity got the best of him, however, and he found himself pressing an ear to the door of the bedroom Stephanie was in a minute later. Now the sounds were clear to him. It was Stephanie, and she was sobbing loudly. He pushed the door open and gingerly stepped into the room.

"Steph?" he asked in a soft voice. She looked up at him, anger flashing in her tear-filled eyes at the mere sight of him, and he held his hands up defensively. "I come in peace," he joked, pretending to wave an invisible white flag in the air.

"I have not time for your jokes right now, Ward!" she spat, looking at him like the very sight of his disgusted her. She wiped her tears away and went on. "Chris is pissed right now, and he's disappointed in me, not to mention hurt... And it's all _your_ fault!"

"My fault? I don't think so!" he said, getting angry at her accusations. "If I recall correctly, and I do, _you're_ the one who mentioned what we did. You told him."

"But you're the one who initiated our little hookup in the first place," she pointed out. "So technically, the blame lies on you, Rich."

"I'm not the bitch who told!" he exclaimed angrily. "If you hadn't opened your big mouth, he wouldn't know, and you wouldn't be in here crying like it's the end of the fucking world! Damn it, don't you know how to keep your mouth closed?"

She got up off the bed and walked over to him. The look on her face was so intense that he backed up a little, but it made no difference to her. She stopped in front of him and poked him in the chest. "Now I might be a lot of things, Rich, and I admit that. I put up with a lot of name-calling and shit from other people. because that's just a part of life. I get that." She narrowed her eyes and poked him in the chest again, this time with a little force. "But I am _not_ a bitch, and you will _not_ call me one. Got it?"

He was absolutely speechless. He looked down at her hand, at the finger she was poking him in the chest with, then back into her angry eyes. He couldn't think of anything to say to her, because all he could feel was this spark between them, this unbearable heat as she touched him.

"Got it?" she repeated, poking him again until he backed into the wall.

He was still speechless. Julie never stood up to him this way, but surprisingly, he liked the way Stephanie was standing up to him. He liked it a lot, and he knew that she had no idea what she was doing to him. He was positive that if she did know, she wouldn't poke him again.

"Damn it, Rich, do you _understand_?" she practically screamed in his face. She knew that Chris was upset with her, disappointed, even, and she hated the feeling. Now, instead of crying, she could let her own disappointment in herself out through another emotion: anger. And she could direct that anger at Rich, the man who had caused her newest problems in the first place, as if she hadn't already had enough problems to deal with...

He looked at her for a minute, then grabbed her hand and switched their positions, pushing her against the wall and pressing himself against her.

"What the hell are you doing?" she exclaimed, eyes wide.

"You're just so fucking hot when you're angry like this," he growled in a low voice. "I'm so turned on right now, Steph..." He didn't wait for her to say anything. He just kissed her without even thinking twice.

It was instinctive for her to kiss him back. He was actually a pretty good kisser... But then she realized what she was doing, and she pulled away and glared at him. "I swear to you, if you _ever _do that again, I will slap the taste out of your mouth!" she promised. She pushed him away, walked over to grab her cell phone off the bed, then headed out of the room so she could go over to the main house...

"She's such a firecracker!" he said with a laugh. _And one hell of a good kisser_... He shook his head and walked slowly out of the room, heading over to the main house...

Chris put Stephanie's luggage in the room right next to Ash's room, then sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall. "What the hell was she thinking?" he wondered aloud. "Or better yet, what the hell was _he_ thinking?"

He closed his eyes and remembered the look on Stephanie's face when she'd told him what she'd done. He would never forget that look on her face. It had seemed like she was so ashamed, and so afraid of disappointing him... He _was_ disappointed in her. He wouldn't lie about that. The part he was unsure of was _why_ he was so disappointed in her. Sure, she'd slept with Rich, but deep down inside, he knew that wasn't the entire reason he was upset about it...

He thought back to his conversation with Rich in the guest house, and suddenly, something Rich had said during their conversation popped into his head. "Maybe I heard him wrong, but I think he said they were talking about why she _wanted_ to _kiss_ me..." His voice trailed off as he tried to analyze that particular thought. Did Stephanie want him to kiss her? Really? Or was Rich just kidding with him?

Just then, his phone started playing a little tune. He picked it up and found that he had a text message from Stephanie: _I'm downstairs in the kitchen w/ Jess & Ash. Can we talk please? -Steph._

He flipped his screen up to reply. _Yeah. Come upstairs. I'm in the room next to Ash's...your room now. -Chris._ He sent the message, then stood up and went over to the mirror, checking to make sure he looked ok. This was unusual for him. "Stephanie's my friend... Why am I trying to look perfect for her?" he asked his reflection as he made sure his hair was ok.

"Hopefully because you've forgiven me and you love me," Stephanie said, walking into the room. She shut the door quietly and locked it, then walked over to the foot of the bed and sat down on it. "Have you calmed down enough to be able to sit next to me?" she asked hopefully.

"I was never truly mad at you," he admitted, walking over to the bed. He sat next to her. "Why'd you lock the door?"

"I wanted to clear things up with you, without any interruptions," she explained, setting her phone on the bed. "And don't worry. Jess knows that I came up here to talk to you, so she won't suspect a thing."

"Is there anything to...suspect?" he asked carefully.

"I don't know..." Her voice trailed off, and she quickly changed the subject. "Now, back to what we were talking about earlier. You know, about last night and what happened between me and Rich."

"I _so_ don't want to talk about that," he said with a frown. "I just want to forget that it happened. Maybe if I can forget, then I can pretend it really never happened..." He looked at her. "Can we do that? Can we pretend that it didn't happen?"

"If that'll make you less disappointed in me," she said. "Because I hate knowing that you're disappointed in me."

"I _am_ disappointed, but only because I'm so confused," he said. He went on in a rushed voice. "I'm confused because I keep wondering why you would choose to make love to Rich when I've been right here the whole time."

"You're my best friend, and you're _married_," she emphasized. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Isn't it obvious enough?" he asked, his eyes meeting hers. "I didn't really get to know you until _after_ I got married, and this whole time we've been friends, I..." His voice trailed off as he tried to think of someway to get his point across effectively. "Think of it this way. I just want to know why you would sleep with a man you dislike instead of turning to the one who loves you."

"I guess that explains why you kissed me last night," she said, looking into his piercing blue eyes.

"I didn't know what I was doing," he confessed. "But this morning, Rich told me that you'd wanted me to kiss you. Is that...true?"

"It had been a really long time since I kissed anyone," she said softly, looking away. "So, yeah, I wanted it. It was surprising, but nice..."

He studied her for a full minute before speaking again. "Hey, Steph," he said in a low voice. She turned to look at him, and he leaned over and kissed her softly. It was similar to the kiss of the night before, and he pulled back to look into her eyes, searching. Her eyes answered the silent question his eyes were asking, and he reached up to touch her cheek lightly before kissing her again.

She kissed him back wholeheartedly, and what seemed like seconds later, she found herself on her back with him on top of her, trailing hot kisses from her lips to her neck. "Chris," she whispered, tangling her fingers in his hair and making him look into her eyes. She didn't know what had come over her, but she only had one thing on her mind. "Chris, I want you..."

"I want you, too," he whispered back, moving up to kiss her lips again. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that this was wrong, but nothing could stop him. He was like a man possessed. He wouldn't be able to stop until he was done...until they were both done.

A few minutes later, he pulled back and sat up as he pulled his shirt off. She looked up at him in wonder as his muscular chest came into view, and she reached up to touch him. She hadn't realized just how much she'd wanted him, but now she knew the truth.. She'd been wanting him for so long that she couldn't even remember when it had started. She pulled him down so she could kiss him again, and just before their lips met, his phone rang.

"Damn it!" he exclaimed, frustrated. He reached over and grabbed his phone to see who was calling, then stood up quickly, looking guilty. "It's Jess."

"Answer it," she said, sitting straight up and beginning to fix her hair.

He answered it, turning the speaker phone on. "Yeah, babe? What's up?"

"Breakfast is ready," Jess said. "Are you and Steph on better terms now?"

"Steph, you want to answer that?" Chris asked, holding the phone out in her direction.

"We're on much better terms now," Stephanie said into the phone. She looked over at him, her eyes taking in his awesome body before meeting his eyes again. "Chris was just showing me what room I'll be staying in until Rich leaves..."

"Ok, well come on down to breakfast when you're done," Jess said. "And I'm glad that you two aren't upset with each other anymore."

"Me, too, Jess," Chris said. "Me, too." He pushed the end button and made sure his wife was off the phone before he looked at Stephanie. "I should've known that we would be interrupted. Nothing this perfect goes interrupted."

"Too bad, huh?" she asked, handing him his shirt.

His fingers brushed against hers as he took his shirt. "We still have tonight," he said, catching her eye before pulling his shirt over his head and smoothing out the wrinkles. "That is, if you still want to."

She grabbed her phone off the bed and stood up. "How could I not?" she asked, touching his cheek. She kissed him again, unable to believe that she was kissing her best friend, then pulled back. "Let's go have breakfast."

"Right. Breakfast," he said, following her over to the door. Breakfast, however, was the last thing on his mind...

**A/N: Long chap, huh? Well, you guys wanted Chris and Steph together, and so did I! So... I hope you guys are happy now. I am! LOL! Another update is coming sometime this week...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"So Steph, what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Jess asked when breakfast was over.

"I don't know yet," Stephanie said, glancing at Chris, then looking back at Jess. She made sure not to look at Rich. "I kind of want to go to the mall, but I know the fans will recognize me. I love my fans, but there are just days when I..." Her voice trailed off, and she shook her head. "There are just some days where I don't want to be recognized. Some of those fans are psycho!"

"I get that," Rich said, wanting to join the conversation, and wanting Stephanie to look at him. "Some of my fans out there are obsessed with me. They, like, have my name tattooed on certain body parts that need not be mentioned..."

"You know, Steph, a trip to the mall sounds really good right about now," Chris said, standing up. "We can get all disguised and go shopping or something."

"Oh, Steph, I have a wig that would look so perfect on you," Jess said excitedly. "It's red, though, and I don't know how much you'd dig being a redhead."

"It would match her temper," Rich said slyly.

"Shut up," Stephanie ordered, briefly acknowledging Rich before looking back at Jess. "The red wig would be great. I just have to find something to wear..."

"We could get dressed together. I have some things you'd _never_ wear," Jess said, sounding like an excited teenager. She got up and picked Ash up, then headed for the door. "Come on, Steph, let's go get...disguised."

"Wait. So Ash is going to be in the room while the two of you are getting dressed?" Rich asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't he be?" Jess asked.

"He's a boy. He'll have roaming eyes," Rich replied. "He might even be tempted to touch."

"He's just a baby. He's not going to be checking us out," Stephanie snapped. "And besides, everyone's not like you..." She looked pointedly at him, and then she and Jess walked out of the room to go get "disguised" as Jess had put it.

"Damn, that was a burn," Rich said, looking longingly after Stephanie. "That woman has a smart mouth on her."

"Ash is a lucky kid," Chris said with a sigh, also looking after Stephanie. "What I wouldn't give to be him for the next few minutes!"

"You see your wife naked all the time," Rich pointed out.

"But not Steph," Chris said, and a small smile appeared on his face. Thoughts of what he and Stephanie had been about to do popped up in his head, and he sat back down and stared off into space, remembering...

"Are you ok with what happened last night?" Rich asked curiously.

"Let's just pretend it never happened," Chris said, looking at his friend. "Steph and I agreed to forget about it. We've already put it behind us and moved on."

"Can you really do that?" Rich wanted to know.

"I'm going to try," Chris said honestly. He thought about what he hoped he would be able to do later that night with Stephanie, and he frowned a little as he remembered the fact that Rich and Stephanie had really slept together the night before. _I so don't want to go after him_, he thought, and he turned to look at him. "I think it would just make everything that happens today much easier if we just forget about it."

"Yeah, I wish I could forget that easily," Rich said with a sigh. "Unfortunately for me, I can't stop remembering last night."

"What was... What was she like?" Chris asked curiously. "Was she good?"

Rich looked at him, puzzled. "Are you feeling ok?" he asked.

"I'm feeling fine," Chris replied with a little smirk. "I was just wondering if she was good or not? I mean, yeah, I want to forget that you guys did it, but there's also this curious part of me that wonders if she's good in bed or not..."

"I can understand that," Rich said, nodding. "If you'd been the one to sleep with her, I would've wanted to know if she was good or not as well."

"Well stop stringing me along and tell me already!" Chris said impatiently.

"Chris, man, you can't _imagine_ how good she was!" Rich said with a low whistle. "She really wore me out, dude. I could tell that she hadn't done it in a long, long time..."

"So it was desperation sex, eh?" Chris asked with a laugh. He was surprised that he could joke about it, especially when he had been so upset about it just a short while before.

"Yeah, it had to be desperation sex," Rich said, looking away. "I mean, let's face it. That's the only way she would ever sleep with me."

"I know," Chris joked. "You're just repulsive, man. Repulsive."

"Just so you know, that offends me," Rich said, standing up and pretending to be angry. "I'm so offended that I'm leaving..."

"Where are you going? Home?" Chris asked in a hopeful tone. Rich would think that he was pretending to be hopeful, but the truth was that he wasn't pretending at all. Sure, Rich was his best friend, and he loved him like a brother. Hell, they were brothers, even if it wasn't by blood. But then there was Stephanie, and he wanted her... He didn't know where this crazy urge had come from to be with her this way. He'd always been faithful to his wife and he'd always only thought of Stephanie as a friend... Of course, in the back of his mind, he had some hidden feelings for her and he knew it... But he'd never been bold enough to bring those feelings to light, that is, until today...

"Did you hear me?" Rich asked, waving a hand in front of Chris's face. "Hey, assclown, I'm talking to you!"

"My bad," Chris said, snapping out of his trance. "What did you say?"

"I said I'm not going home yet. I might call Julie and see if she's calmed down a bit, but I'm not leaving just yet," Rich said, walking over to the door. "When I said that I was leaving, I meant that I was going to go find some clothes to get disguised in. I want to be in on this little trip to the mall, too, you know."

"Like we'd leave you out," Chris said with a scoff. He stood up. "You're so dense these days, man... Have you been drinking Nyquil lately? Because I know you have a thing for drinking that nasty stuff by the bottle."

"Hey, I was sick. We were on tour and I just wanted to use a higher dosage to somehow get better faster," Rich said defensively. "How was I supposed to know that I would sleep for two whole days straight?"

"Whatever," Chris said with a laugh. "I'm going to go upstairs and find something to wear, something that the fans won't recognize me in. Of course, I'll probably get recognized anyway, seeing that I'm the King of the World and a sexy beast, as well..."

"You're going upstairs? To your bedroom?" Rich asked.

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?" Chris asked.

"Let's see... There are two women in there getting dressed. _Why_ would you go in there?" Rich asked.

"Because I'm the man of the house, and I can go anywhere I want to go," Chris said. "And because I need to get dressed."

"Right..." Rich shook his head at him and with a little laugh, he slipped out the door and headed over to the guest house.

Chris grabbed his phone off the table and slipped it into his back pocket before leaving the kitchen to go upstairs. His phone was always at his side at all times, because it was his link to Stephanie. They were always sending each other text messages... Once upstairs, he walked silently down the hall to the end, heading for the master bedroom where he was sure Jess and Stephanie had gone. When he reached the closed bedroom door, he decided not to knock. Instead, he simply walked inside like he owned the place...because, well, he did!

When he stepped into the room, he heard the shower running. He saw Ash asleep on the bed, and Stephanie and Jess were nowhere in sight. "Are they in the shower together?" he wondered aloud. He wouldn't know what to make of that situation, if that was truly the case.

"Don't get your hopes up anytime soon for that one," Stephanie said in a soft voice.

Chris turned around and saw Stephanie's head peeking out at him from his wife's huge walk-in closet. "Oh, so that's where you were hiding," he said, walking over to her. "Am I right to presume that Jess is the one taking a shower right now?"

"Yeah. She just got in," she said, still peeking at him from behind the door. He reached for the doorknob and she pulled the door even closer. "You can't come in right now. I'm not fully dressed."

"Well then that's all the more reason to let me come inside," he said in a low voice. He was surprised at his own boldness, but he tried not to show it as he looked at her. He smiled lightly at the look on her face. "What? Surprised?"

"Kind of, yeah," she said, disappearing into the closet and leaving the door slightly ajar. She was giving him the ok to come in...

He followed her inside the spacious closet and closed the door behind him, locking it. He turned around to look at her and his eyebrows rose at the sight of what she was wearing...or _not_ wearing. She was wearing her bra and panties, and that was it. They were black lace, and they fit her quite well. For that reason, he just couldn't stop staring.

"Cat got your tongue?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

"For the moment," he said, taking a step closer. "That looks nice on you."

"Thanks," she said quietly, looking down at herself. "Hunter never used to compliment me like that."

"I'm not Hunter," he said, taking another step towards her and closing the distance between them. "Never compare me to him. He's not worthy enough to be called a man whereas _I_ am _all_ man." He reached out, putting one arm around her and pulling her close. "Are we doing this tonight? Have you changed your mind?"

"Why would I change my mind?" she asked, instinctively putting her arms around him. "Do I have a reason to?"

"Won't you feel guilty?" he asked, cocking his head sideways so he could look at her from a different angle. "Like, I know you've always disliked Trish Stratus because of the fact that she slept with your dad and he's married... I'm married, too, remember?"

"Damn, must've slipped my mind," she said, a bit of sarcasm evident in her voice. "I think I...forgot."

"Oh, is that how we're going to play it tonight?" he asked, tightening his hold on her. "We 'forget' that I'm married for one night?"

"I don't think we could really forget that you're married," she said with a sigh. She pulled away from him and reached for the skirt she and Jess had picked out for her to wear. "And you know, as much as I want to...you know... It would be kind of disrespectful to do it in the same house as your wife..."

"Then what? We just forget about it?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest as he watched her put on the skirt. "Wow, that skirt barely leaves anything to the imagination."

"No, we don't just forget about it, Chris," she said, ignoring the skirt comment and walking over to him to kiss him on the cheek. "We wait."

"Until when?"

"Until Rich leaves and I can go back in the guest house."

"Wait until Rich leaves?" he asked incredulously. "But that could be _days_!"

"I know, but I think it would be more special if we weren't in the house with Jess," she said, boldly running one hand down his chest to his belt buckle and leaving it there. "Because then we could really lose our inhibitions, and we could be as loud as we want to be..."

"So you're a screamer, huh?" he asked, pulling her to him once again

"I can be," she admitted with a smile. "But only if you're good."

"Then you'll be screaming all night," he breathed into her ear, right before he kissed it. He kissed her cheek, then kissed her softly on the lips. "Why does this feel so natural to me?" he asked when he pulled away.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Maybe you're just crazy."

"Um, if I'm crazy, that means you're crazy, too," he said. "And you're the one who said you wanted me first..."

"But you kissed me first," she pointed out.

"Oh yeah," he said, pretending that he'd forgotten. "I guess I did, huh?"

"You better get out of here before Jess gets out of the shower," she said, after looking at him for a long minute, "Wouldn't want her to get any ideas now would we?"

"I guess not," he said, sounding disappointed. "Shame on you, Steph, for getting me all excited and then making me leave." He was only half-joking with her...

"Well I'm sorry. What do you want me to do?" she asked. "Just let you take me right here?"

He laughed and shook his head. "This conversation is just too weird for me. Are we really discussing what I think we're discussing?"

"You're right, this _is_ weird," she agreed. "We're friends..._best_ friends, and you're married. What are we thinking?"

"I don't know, Steph, but I don't think I can stop until we've..." His voice trailed off and he let her decipher the meaning of his sentence by herself. "You know?"

"I feel the same way," she said. "But really, you need to get out of here before Jess gets out of the shower."

"Can't I just have one more kiss?" he asked, pouting a little.

"Fine, but just _one_," she said with a little smile.

But one kiss turned into two, and before either of them realized what was happening, he had her pressed against the wall at the back of the closet, moving against her in a most seductive way as he kissed her. He gestured for her to put one of her legs around his waist while he kissed her, and she did it instinctively. Satisfied, he pressed himself against her even more, making her feel how excited she made him.

"Oh God, Chris, you have to stop," she whispered against his lips as she felt him grinding against her. She could feel how excited he was, and she wanted him more than ever now...

"But doesn't this feel good, Steph?" he whispered back, moving from her lips to her neck. "Wouldn't you like to feel me...without these clothes? Don't you want it?"

"Yes... Yes, I want it," she breathed, closing her eyes and biting her lip. "But you... We have to wait... Jess will be out any minute now, and if you keep doing this...I might not be able to stop."

"You're right," he said, abruptly pulling back. She looked down at the front of his pants, and he looked down, too, then back up into her eyes. "You see that? _You _did that."

For some reason, the knowledge that he was excited because of her and the fact that he wanted her made her excited. She pulled him in for another kiss, pressing herself against his body, feeling him... And then she pulled back and looked away. "Get out of here, Chris. You can't stay in here."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because I might just rape you," she said, looking back at him.

By the look in her eyes, he could tell that she wasn't kidding. "I'll see you in a few... I think I need a cold shower." He gazed at her for a minute, then slipped out of the closet and shut the door quietly behind him.

When he closed the door, she leaned against the wall that he'd had her pressed up against and closed her eyes. _What the hell am I doing? This is CHRIS! My best friend... My best friend, who has a wife and a son..._ She didn't know what she was doing or why she wanted him this way all of a sudden, but deep down she knew that she wouldn't be...complete...until they finally hooked up...

**A/N: I thought I knew where I wanted this chapter to go, but darn it, I guess I got caught up in my OWN little Y2J fantasy (the whole closet thing). I'll update soon, hopefully, and I'll try not to get all caught up in my own little fantasies anymore, LOL!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"So we should be back in a few hours. You know our cell phone numbers and you know where to call in case of an emergency," Jess said to the two people she and Chris had contacted to be Ash's babysitters for the day. These were the same two people that they always called, but Jess was just one of those parents who always worried about her son... "Ash is upstairs sleeping right now, but he should be up soon. Don't forget to-"

"We go through this same little speech every single time we baby-sit Ash," Edge interrupted, flicking a few strands of his blonde hair back. He looked at his girlfriend. "Li, tell her that everything will be fine. You're the only one who can convince her."

"Everything will be _fine_," Lita assured Jess. "Ash is an adorable little boy. We always watch him and take care of him as if he's our own...and we're going to have one of our own soon, so watching him is great practice for us."

"Are you serious?" Chris asked, speaking up for the first time in a few minutes.

"Yeah. We're going to be parents. I'm going to be a dad," Edge said proudly, standing behind Lita. He put his arms around her and kissed her on the neck, letting his hands rest on her still-flat stomach. "We just found out."

"Well, you must be excited!" Jess said with a smile. "Congratulations!"

"So what are you having?" Rich asked curiously. "A boy or a girl?"

"We don't know yet," Lita said, placing her hand on top of Edge's hands, which were still on her stomach. "When I go for my next checkup, that's when we'll find out for sure what we're having."

Chris looked over at Stephanie, who was looking down at the ground. "Um, Steph, can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked. She looked over at him and nodded, and he leaned over to whisper in his wife's ear. "Honey, I'll be right back. Steph looks kind of sad and I think I know why."

"Oh God, I forgot how sensitive she is about pregnancy," Jess whispered back. "You go ahead and talk to her. Rich and I will wait in here for you two."

Chris nodded, then walked over to Stephanie. "Come on," he said, and he led her out of the room and down the hall a bit to the nearest room where they could be alone, which just happened to be the bathroom. He let her go in first, then walked in after her, shutting and locking the door behind him, then leaning against the door. "You ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, looking around. She smiled and tried to change the subject. "I can't believe we're having a conversation in the bathroom."

"Edge and Lita are having a baby. I know that couldn't have been easy for you to hear," he said, crossing his arms across his chest. He knew that she was trying to change the subject, but he wasn't falling for it. "It wasn't easy for me to hear after everything that happened, so I know it was hard for you, too."

"You just don't know, Chris," she whispered in a shaky voice. "You just don't know how much I wanted _our_ baby."

"I wanted our baby, too," he whispered back, looking into her tear-filled eyes. He opened his arms and stepped towards her. "Come here, sweetheart."

She stepped into his arms and the tears just started coming out. "It's just not fair," she sobbed, closing her eyes. "I wanted that baby so much, and God took it away from me...away from _us_. And now, it seems like everyone's having a baby. Did you know that Marissa's pregnant again, too?"

"I know, and I'm so sorry that our baby didn't make it," he said, holding her a little tighter. "But you're going to have a baby, and you're going to be so happy..."

"_When_, Chris? I'm not going to be young forever," she pointed out, laying her head on his shoulder. "I'm 29, I'm divorced, and I'm not in a relationship with anyone right now. A couple more years from now and I'm not going to be able to have children at all, and then what? What will I do when that happens?"

"It won't happen, Steph. You're going to find someone to be with, and you're going to have a baby," he assured her. "And when that happens, you're going to be a great mom. You'll be terrific, and your child is going to love you so much. Ash loves you even though you're not his mom, so I have no doubts that your child will love you, too."

"How do you always know the right thing to say?" she asked, pulling back a little to look at him.

"I don't know. I just say what I feel," he answered, wiping her tears away. "I say what I know."

She studied him for a minute, looking first at his perfect features, then into his eyes. "Our baby would've been beautiful. Hunter would've figured out that we did the whole invitro fertilization thing, and then he would've divorced me. But you know what? I wouldn't have been that upset, because I would've had..." Her voice trailed off and she sighed. "Well, you know."

"You would've had the baby," he finished for her. He stroked her face lightly. "And you would've had me, too. I would've been there for you, just like I am now, and I would've stepped in and been a part of that baby's life. I would've been a father for that baby, Steph, just like I am for Ash. You wouldn't have been alone."

"How would you have done that? You're married with a son," she reminded him.

"I know that, but you're important to me, Steph. You're my best friend, remember?" he asked, leaning a little closer. "And you would've been the mother of my child, too, so I would've been there to support you. You know that, right?" She nodded, and he closed the distance between them and kissed her.

She pulled back after a minute and reached up to touch his face. "Thank you, Chris, for being here for me. You've always been here for me, and I've put you in some really...difficult situations, especially with the baby thing."

"I was glad to help you out, Steph, and to be honest... I couldn't imagine sharing a child with a greater woman," he said in a low voice.

"Besides Jess," she replied.

"Right, yeah, besides Jess," he added quickly. "And speaking of her, I'm sure she's probably wondering if you're ok now."

"We should go back out there," she said, pulling away. "Just let me clean up a little. My face must be a mess by now." She turned and walked over to look in the mirror so she could check out her reflection.

"You're still beautiful, though," he said, leaning against the door again.

She smiled. "And my life would be perfect if every guy out there thought that as well."

He didn't say anything in response to her comment. He just leaned against the door, looking off into space with a thoughtful expression on his face. He'd just had an amazing idea, an idea that was sure to make Stephanie happy. He looked over at her and smiled to himself. _She'll love me even more for this_, he thought, still smiling as he looked at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, looking at him through the mirror. "Are you having second thoughts about telling me that I'm still beautiful?"

"Of course not," he said, walking over to her. He stood behind her, pressing himself against her and putting his arms around her just like Edge had done to Lita a short while ago. "I just had the most brilliant idea ever, and I know you're going to agree with me." He placed his hands on her stomach as he stared into her eyes through the mirror.

"What... What idea did you come up with?" she asked, leaning back against his solid, muscular body.

"You're my best friend, and I want you to be happy, Steph. I want to _make _you happy," he began. He paused for a minute, trying to figure out how to say what he was going to say. He spoke again after a minute. "I think we should give it another try."

"Give what another try?" she asked, confused.

"I think we should...give the whole baby thing another try," he said in a rushed voice. "Only this time, we won't go through the whole process of invitro fertilization. This time..."

Her mouth dropped, and she turned around to look at him. "Are you serious?" she whispered.

"Yeah, I'm serious," he said, smiling at the look of surprise on her face. "I just want you to be happy, and you have no idea how upset it always makes me when I remember the fact that our baby didn't survive... This time, it could work."

"You would do that for me?" she asked, in awe.

"I'd do anything for you, and this would work out perfectly," he said. "Remember what we decided we'd do when Rich leaves? That could be it, Steph. That could be the perfect time to give you this baby that you want so much..."

"That sounds too good to be true," she whispered, leaning her forehead against his. "But what about Jess? Just doing what we've planned to do in the first place is bad, but actually trying to have a baby... That's even worse."

"You _do_ want this baby with me, don't you?" he asked her with a strange look on his face.

She couldn't believe that they were really having this discussion. "Well, yes, I want this baby. I want a baby so much, Chris, but-"

"No buts," he interrupted, right before he kissed her hard. He didn't know why he was acting this way with her. He didn't understand what was making him do these crazy things, like the way he'd been about to take her in the room next to his son's room, or the way he'd been grinding against her in the closet. He'd never been this way with her before, _ever_. As a matter of fact, the day before, he never would've even thought that he'd be suggesting something like this to her... But he'd suggested it, and he'd meant it. He wanted to do this for her...

She was confused, so very confused at the way he was acting, but when he kissed her, she just kissed him back. It was like a natural instinct for her to return his kiss, and besides, he wanted to give her something that she'd been wanting for quite some time: a child. She was going to have her own child... She kissed him back with everything she had in her, with all the passion that she could muster.

He pulled back a while later, breathless. "I don't know what I'm doing, Stephanie," he whispered, pulling her to him. "I don't understand why I'm feeling like this... I don't think it was until I found out that you and Rich slept together that I started acting like this, and I can't figure out why."

"I don't know, Chris," she said, also breathless. "I don't know what we're doing, but I can't tell you how much it means to me that you want to do this for me..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Hey, you two! Hurry up! You've been in there forever!"

"We're having a conversation, Rich. We'll be out in a minute," Chris said, trying to sound normal.

"Ok, well hurry up," Rich called. "We're ready to leave."

Stephanie looked at Chris. "We need to get out of here," she whispered.

Chris nodded at her. "We will, but first, tell me... Do you want to give it another try?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation. "When Rich leaves and I move back out into the guest house... Then we'll do it."

He smiled at her. "You're going to be so happy... That's all I really want."

"You're such a great friend, Chris," she said, hugging him again. She rested her head on his shoulder again and pressed a light kiss to his neck. "I love you..."

"I love you, too," he whispered back. They'd always told each other that they loved each other, but he felt that at that moment, it meant so much more. He pulled back and headed for the door while she checked her reflection in the mirror again. "I'll meet you out there."

"Ok," she agreed. He reached for the doorknob and she turned around to look at him. "Wait a minute, before you go..."

"Something wrong?" he asked, immediately concerned.

She walked over to him. "Your hair's a little out of place... Let me fix it." She fixed his hair for him, then stepped back to look at him. "Ok, it's perfect again."

"Thanks," he said. He looked at her for another minute, then left the bathroom and walked back out to where everyone was standing, hoping that he looked normal.

"Well? Is she ok?" Jess asked him as soon as he walked into the room.

"She's ok, just a little sad," Chris said, glancing over at his wife. "But I think I cheered her up a little bit, so our little excursion to the mall is still on."

Stephanie walked into the room right after his comment and everyone looked at her. "Sorry for holding everyone up. I just got a little...emotional for a minute there, but I'm ok now, really."

"That's good to know," Lita said, smiling at Stephanie. "By the way, I never pictured you as a red head, but Jess tells me that you're going to be wearing a red wig today."

"Yeah, unbelievable, isn't it?" Stephanie said with a laugh. "So, um, are you guys ready to go?"

"I was ready two hours ago," Rich teased, wanting her to look at him.

"Ready to go home?" Stephanie asked him, trying not to sound too hopeful. She glanced at Chris and noticed that he was looking at Rich, too, waiting for his reply.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I'm not going home yet," Rich said, looking at Stephanie. "But I _did_ talk to my wife and I'll probably be leaving sooner than I originally thought."

"Like when?" Chris asked casually.

"Probably in about a day or two," Rich answered. "But I want to get at least a little fun in before I go, so can we get this thing on the road and hit up the mall?"

"He's right. Let's get out of here," Jess said, grabbing Chris's hand. "Are you driving your car?"

"Sure, I'll drive," Chris replied, holding her hand. "Come on, let's go."

Five minutes later, Chris pulled his car out of the garage and drove off. His wife was sitting next to him in the front seat. Rich sat behind her, and Stephanie sat behind Chris. He looked in the rearview mirror and straight into her eyes, then looked back at the road and tried to focus.

"So Stephanie, I bet you're used to being in the backseat," Rich said to Stephanie, trying to get her to argue with him like they usually did. "But knowing you, you're probably used to being _naked _in the backseat..."

"Yeah, with your dad," Stephanie replied absently, looking out the window. She had too much on her mind to be joking around with him. All she could really think about was the fact that soon she would have a child of her own...and she couldn't wait.

"I wondered why my dad got herpes that time," Rich went on with a little laugh. "I guess he got that from you, huh?"

"Rich, I have a lot on my mind right now. I'm not really in the mood to play with you," Stephanie said, still looking out the window. "Can't you just be quiet for a minute?"

"So what do you guys want to do first when we get to the mall?" Jess asked, trying to ease some of the tension in the car.

"I want to go to Victoria's Secret," Stephanie said immediately. "I heard they have this mega sale on, and I thought I could pick up some..._stuff_."

"That's a great idea," Jess said. "You and I should go there and pick some stuff out. I bet they have some sexy lingerie on sale right now."

"I don't want to go there," Rich piped up. "That's not my type of place."

"We weren't inviting you anyway," Stephanie muttered.

"Are you suggesting that we split up?" Chris asked, looking at Stephanie through the rearview mirror again.

"For a little while," Jess said, answering for Stephanie. "I don't want you to see what I'm buying from Victoria's Secret...but I promise you'll see it later on tonight..." Her voice trailed off and she smiled at her husband. "You'll even get to take it off me..."

Stephanie looked out the window. _Too much information_, she thought, shaking her head. And all of a sudden, she just couldn't wait to get this whole trip to the mall over with, even though it had barely even started...

**A/N: This chapter started off the way that I wanted it to, but then it went in its own direction... Weird, huh?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Man, Steph, you look like a totally different person," Chris said, turning around in his seat to look back at Stephanie. She was now wearing the shoulder-length red wig and the clothes that Jess had picked out for her as a disguise. He looked at her in wonder, taking it all in. "How'd you get all you hair to fit under the wig?" he asked curiously.

"I have no clue," Stephanie said, checking her reflection in her compact mirror. "But I don't recognize myself, so I'm pretty sure none of the fans will recognize me, either."

"If you ask me, you look like you're ready for work," Rich teased, still wanting her to notice him. "Is that the wig you wear on your night shift on the corner? And are those the clothes, too?"

"Oh, Rich, cut it out," Jess said, turning to look at Stephanie as well. "Steph, you look better in that wig and those clothes than I ever have!"

Stephanie laughed the compliments away and smoothed her short skirt down. "I don't dress like this. This isn't my style. Are you sure these clothes look ok on me?" she asked, looking at Jess and then at Chris. She had already heard Jess's opinion, though, so she really just wanted to find out what Chris thought.

"I think you look ok," Chris said, letting his eyes scan quickly over her and then forcing himself to look away so Jess wouldn't catch him staring at Stephanie. _"Ok" is quite an understatement_, he thought. Stephanie was right, those clothes definitely weren't her style. That didn't mean that she didn't look good in what she was wearing, though, because she did. It just wasn't something he was used to seeing her in. She was dressed in a tight, cleavage-baring shirt that showed her stomach, a short black skirt that barely went mid-thigh, and some boots that came up nearly to her knees. She looked very punk rock-ish and _very_ un-Stephanie like, and in his opinion, her sexy little get-up was going to attract more attention than her regular jeans and a shirt would have. _Leave it to Jess to make Steph just ooze sex appeal today of all days_, he thought, biting his lip as he looked out the window...

"I think you look sluttier than ever before," Rich piped up, a bit annoyed that she had ignored him earlier. "And since when do you have your nose and belly button pierced?"

"Duh, Rich, my nose isn't really pierced," Stephanie replied, rolling her eyes at him. "But my belly button has been pierced for a while now."

"Funny," Rich said thoughtfully. "I didn't notice that last night when we-"

Before he could finish, Chris started coughing loudly. "You ok?" Jess asked, concerned.

"Perfectly fine," Chris said, clearing his throat. He glared menacingly at Rich, then turned back around. "I'm thirsty. Everybody ready to go?"

"More than ready," Stephanie said quickly, reaching for the door handle. She was anxious to get out of the car and away from Rich. She couldn't believe that he had almost just told Jess what had happened between them the night before. He had been right on the verge of just letting it slip out, and if it hadn't been for Chris pulling the old coughing trick... She shuddered at the thought of what could have happened.

"Honey, we can't get out yet. You forgot to finish your disguise," Jess pointed out to her husband. "Where's your lip ring? Your cap? Your sunglasses?"

Chris sighed and pulled on a cap, putting it on his head backwards. He put on some sunglasses, then pulled out a fake lip ring and put it on his bottom lip. "Happy now?" he asked, turning to look at his wife so she could see how he looked now.

"You kinda look like a buff, blonde Travis Barker," Rich observed. "Minus the body art and the mohawk, of course."

"Sure," Chris said sarcastically. "Thanks for comparing me to a guy that looks like a freaking bird."

"Chris, how mean! I met Trav a couple of months ago, and in person he looks nothing like a bird," Stephanie said. "As a matter of fact, he's a good-looking guy...very romantic with the wife and sweet with the kids. Haven't you seen his show on TV?"

"You watch _Meet The Barkers_?" Jess asked, surprised.

"Yeah. It's a good show," Stephanie said with a shrug.

"Everybody ready?" Chris asked, a bit impatiently. For some reason, he didn't want to hear Stephanie talk about another guy, and he didn't know why. He'd never had a problem with listening to her talk about other men in the past, but now all of a sudden, it was different. _He_ felt different...

"Yeah, we're ready," Rich said, speaking for himself and the two women.

"Great," Chris said. "Let's get out of here..."

Nearly three minutes later, they were walking towards the entrance to the mall. "Leave it to Chris to park in the _back_ of the parking lot," Stephanie joked when things got too quiet for her.

"There weren't any other spots up front," Chris pointed out. "Why? Tired? Need me to carry you?"

"Of course she doesn't, silly," Jess said with a laugh. "Ok, so Stephanie and I are going to Victoria's Secret to catch their mega sale. Where are you two going?"

"I want to ride up and down on the escalator," Rich said immediately. The other three looked at him. "What?" he asked, holding his hands up.

"How immature," Stephanie said, trying not to laugh. The truth was that she and Chris had done that a lot of times in the past, just ride up and down on the escalator. What could she say? It was fun sometimes...

"Yes, that's very immature," Chris agreed, sharing a knowing look with Stephanie.

"Aw, Chris, you know that you're always riding up and down on the escalator with me," Rich said. "It's not immature... It's just bringing out the child inside. My parents were always telling me not to ride up and down the escalator when I was younger... This is just my way of rebelling."

"Ok, ok, you've convinced me," Chris said. "But we can't draw too much attention to ourselves. We're trying to be discreet, remember?"

"Then we might as well go to Victoria's Secret with the ladies," Rich grumbled as they reached the entrance to the mall.

"Yes, let's do that," Chris agreed, looking at Stephanie. "We'll do that."

"Are you sure, honey? Because I don't plan to rush while we're there," Jess warned, taking Chris's hand. Stephanie just looked away, trying to look anywhere else besides their joined hands.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Chris replied, looking at Rich and Stephanie. His gaze lingered on Stephanie for a long moment, but then he turned back to Jess. "So... What are we standing here for? Let's go."

They all reached the main entrance. Chris opened the door for Jess and Stephanie. As Stephanie walked inside, he looked after her and licked his lips. He didn't mean to, but he was already imagining what it would be like to be with her. He couldn't believe how much things had changed since the day before. He smiled to himself as he remembered what had almost happened twice that morning...

"Dude, is it just my imagination, or were you just checking Stephanie out?" Rich asked, nudging him.

"I was," Chris admitted as he watched his wife and his best female friend walk together to the escalator. They were talking animatedly to one another, and ever so often they would both look back at him and Rich and giggle. "I wonder what they're laughing at?"

"Uh uh, don't change the subject," Rich said, shaking his head. "You were just checking out hr ass!"

"So?"

"Your wife, she's right next to her."

"Hey, you slept with her. Can't I at least look?" Chris asked defensively.

"Hey, she's not mine," Rich said. "Look at her all you want. Hell, we could both get a great view going up the escalator."

Chris hadn't thought about that, and he didn't like the idea of Rich looking up Stephanie's skirt on the escalator. However, he couldn't say that without causing suspicion, so he just nodded. Besides, Rich had already seen everything Stephanie had to offer, and while that sickened Chris a little, he would have to learn to deal with it. He couldn't change the past, anyway.

"Damn, check it out," Rich said, bending down a little and looking up.

Chris did the same, squatting down, and soon he was staring up Stephanie's skirt. He knew that he was being pretty obvious, but it was too much of an opportunity to pass up. He stared up and whistled lightly. "Jesus, she changed into a thong."

"What do you mean, she changed into a thong? She could've been wearing one all day," Rich pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right," Chris said, knowing for a fact that Stephanie hadn't been wearing that thong earlier in the closet. Oh, he would've remembered that. He SO would've remembered that. He _did_ remember what she'd been wearing earlier, and he remembered what he'd done to her in the closet. She'd been nearly naked while he'd been fully clothed... Just that memory conjured up vivid images in his mind, images that he didn't need to be seeing at the moment, because he was going to develop a problem that couldn't be taken care of if he kept picturing the way she'd felt against him...

Chris and Rich were so caught up in looking under Stephanie's skirt that they didn't notice when they reached the top. They both tumbled over and landed on their butts at the top of the escalator.

"Oh my God, are they ok?" Jess asked worriedly.

Stephanie turned to look at the two men. She'd seen them staring under her skirt the whole way up. _Serves them right_, she thought, smiling. She looked at Jess. "I'm sure they're fine. They were probably just...excited...about being on the escalator."

"Well in that case, let's go!" Jess said excitedly. She linked her arm with Stephanie's and practically dragged her to Victoria's Secret, leaving the guys behind.

"Why didn't you tell me we were at the top?" Chris grumbled, looking at Rich.

"Because I was too busy looking... Well, you know where I was looking," Rich said sheepishly. "But do you blame me? You were looking, too."

"Yeah, I was," Chris laughed. He and Rich looked at each other and just laughed. This was absurd. They had been squatting on the escalator in plain view of people, just to get a peek under Stephanie's skirt, and now they were sitting on the ground at the top of the escalator. Could things get any more weird?

Apparently so.

"Are you two gonna stay there all day, or are you gonna move so we can get by?" came a sarcastic voice from behind them.

"Or can we just step on you guys?" a second, equally sarcastic voice said. "Because that's what we like to do. We like to step on guys, or at least, those ones that like to be doormats."

Chris and Rich scrambled to their feet and looked at the owners of the two voices, two young-looking women, maybe around twenty or twenty-one. They were both wearing dark makeup and looked very punk rock-ish, dressed the same way Stephanie had been dressed.

"We don't like to be doormats," Rich said quickly, pursing his lips.

"Yeah, no doormat guys here," Chris agreed, folding his arms across his chest.

"Wow, you two look kind of sexy," the first girl said. "And you, your tats are wicked." She turned to the other girl. "Reese, his tats are _sweet_, aren't they?"

"Wow, yeah," the other girl, apparently named Reese, said. She looked at Rich. "So, what's your name?"

"My, uh, name?" Rich repeated. He looked at Chris and mouthed, "What's my name?"

"His name? Um, his name is..." Chris's voice trailed off as he tried to think of a suitable name for Rich. He grinned triumphantly a minute later. "His name is Billy."

"Billy, huh?" Reese repeated. "Like Billy Bob Thornton?"

"Just Billy," Rich said. "That's it. Billy."

"And what's your name?" Reese asked Chris.

"His name's Chuck," Rich answered before Chris could say a word. "Yeah, his name's Chuck, and together we're Billy and Chuck."

"Billy and Chuck?" the first girl said. She looked at Reese and they shared a knowing look before she turned back to the guys. "Well, Billy and Chuck, why don't you come back to our place and we have a little fun?"

"You know, that's not a bad idea, Crystal," Reese said approvingly, looking at the guys. She walked around them in a circle, then grabbed Chris's butt. "Oh yeah, we could have a lot of fun with you. You have a nice, firm ass. Nice."

"I'm taken," Chris said quickly.

"So am I," Rich added. "Happily taken."

"Why would that matter? We don't care if you're taken or not," Crystal said. "We just want to have a little fun."

"And what hot-blooded male turns down some kinky fun with some young, innocent girls?" Reese added as extra incentive.

"Guys like us," Rich said. He threw an arm around Chris's shoulder. "We're...together."

"Man, what the fu... I mean, yeah, we're totally together," Chris agreed, putting his arm around Rich's waist. "We're not straight. We...like each other."

"Oh, well why didn't you say so?" Reese laughed. "We have strap-ons and everything!"

"When I give you the cue, you run," Chris whispered into Rich's ear, looking nervously at the two girls in front of them.

"What's the cue?" Rich whispered back.

"Run!" Chris replied, and they took off in the direction of Victoria's Secret, leaving the two girls behind. They reached Victoria's Secret and stood outside, catching their breath for a minute. "Dude, what the fuck was with that whole 'we're together' crap?"

"Hey, I was just trying to make them leave us alone," Rich said with a shrug. "Why'd you name me Billy?"

"I just did... But you did the worst thing by naming me Chuck," Chris said, shaking his head.

"How?"

"A couple of years ago, Billy and Chuck were this sort of...couple...who were supposed to get, like, married on the show, in the ring."

"Wow," Rich said with a laugh. "We're Billy and Chuck."

"You two are Billy and Chuck? When did that happen?" Stephanie asked, leaning in the doorway of Victoria's Secret and looking lazily at Rich and Chris.

"Since about five minutes ago, and we're also together," Chris informed her, putting his arm around Rich's waist.

"Yeah, we're a happy couple, and we're cute," Rich put in. "Don't you think so?"

"No, not really," Stephanie said in a dry voice. She looked at Chris. "Mind if we have a word? I wanted to talk to you."

"No problem," Chris said, quickly removing his arm from around Rich's waist. "Rich, could you go keep Jess company for a little while so Steph and I can go talk?"

"Fine, but only because I get to preview whatever Jess buys before you do," Rich agreed, walking into Victoria's Secret and leaving Stephanie and Chris alone.

"So what's up?" Chris asked, putting both hands in his pockets so he wouldn't reach out and grab her.

"I wanted to tell you something, that's all, but I don't think I can tell you here," Stephanie replied, still leaning in the doorway to Victoria's Secret. "What do you say we go someplace a little less crowded and a lot more discreet?"

"Like where?"

"Come with me..."

They ended up in the arcade downstairs, way in the back, sitting in one of those simulation car games. There was just barely enough room for both of them to be sitting in there, and it was a pretty tight fit as it was. They sat there in silence for a minute, not looking at each other, and then all of a sudden, Chris just started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Stephanie wanted to know.

"You want to be somewhere alone with me, so you bring me to a broke-down game in an arcade," he laughed. "I just think that's funny."

"Well, when you put it that way, then it's funny," she agreed, nodding her head. She placed her hand on his knee and slowly let it travel up, looking into his eyes. "But then when you think about it another way... You and I are virtually alone back here, sitting in a seat that's made for one person...really close..."

"We've sat close before," he pointed out.

"But this is different. I didn't feel this way before," she said, and before she really knew what was happening, she was sitting straddled across his lap. She spoke to him in a low voice. "You know, I know what you were doing on the escalator..."

"Oh really?" he asked, putting his arms around her waist as she nodded. "And what was I doing?"

"You and Rich were both looking up my skirt," she said without missing a beat. "The funny thing about it is, I knew I was giving you a little show... So did you like it?"

"You're wearing a thong. What's not to like?" he asked her pointedly.

"I don't know," she replied, leaning a little closer to him.

"What did you want to tell me?" he asked, cocking his head sideways a little bit and looking at her face.

"Just how hot you made me when I figured out what you were doing on the escalator," she said, right before she closed the distance between them and kissed him. She didn't know when this whole change between them had happened. Just the day before, she would never have imagined that she would be acting this way with him and wanting to do these crazy things to him. He was her best friend, after all. So what if she'd had a few dreams about him in the past...

"Steph, I don't want to wait until Rich leaves," he whispered, pulling back and breathing heavily as he looked into her eyes. "I want you right now..."

"But where would we go, and what excuse would we have if Jess asked where we were?" she asked logically.

"We could just say we got held up by fans who wanted autographs, something along those lines," he said, his hands running down her back and under her skirt. "We'll make up something, I don't care what, and we could do it right here. I don't care where we go. All I want to do right now is lift this skirt up and pull this thong to the side..."

"Chris, you're so bad," she murmured when she felt his hands beneath her skirt touching her. "But you know we can't do it right now... We'd be too...wow..."

"Wow, is that all you can say right now?" he asked, grinning impishly at her. "Wow?"

She didn't say anything, she just kissed him again, moaning into his mouth as his fingers worked their magic on her. She trailed her fingers through his hair, then pulled it a little, kissing him a little harder. She knew this was risky, _too_ risky, but how was she supposed to stop? Nothing was going to stop them, nothing...

"Hey, who's back there?" came an angry voice.

"Oh shit," Chris said, pulling away a little. "Somebody's coming. Quick, get up."

Stephanie got up, her legs shaking a little as she attempted to straighten her skirt, and he got up after her, just as an old man with an accent came wobbling over to them.

"What did I tell you horny little kids the other day? This is an arcade, not a place for you to have sex! You teens today just don't understand the consequences of actions like this!" the man exclaimed, glaring angrily at them. "Out, out, out! And don't let me see you two back here again!"

"Yes sir!" Stephanie said with a little laugh as Chris grabbed her hand and pulled her away. They didn't speak again until they were on the escalator, headed back upstairs for Victoria's Secret. "So, he thinks we're teens, huh?"

"Seems like it," Chris answered absently. He looked into her eyes after a minute. "So... When do we get to finish what we started?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know, but sometime soon," she said definitively, gazing at him. "Sometime soon."

"Good," he said, grinning at her. "Because I can't wait..."

**A/N: Things are happening that I didn't plan at all... But that's ok, I guess, as long as you guys review! LOL, I appreciate the feedback and knowing what you guys think about this story... Also, I plan to update some other stories sometime this week if I get a chance...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"How soon is soon going to be?" Chris asked as he and Stephanie rode the escalator back up to the second level of the mall. He looked her over, wishing that the stupid old man hadn't interrupted them back down in the arcade. They had been so close. He'd touched her, felt a place on her that he hadn't ever imagined that he'd get the opportunity to feel, and now that he'd felt that and felt her response to him, he wanted more...

He wanted to go all the way.

"Soon is going to be as soon as possible," Stephanie replied, looking at him.

"Good, because I can't wait," he replied for what seemed to be the tenth time that day, closing the distance between them so he could speak directly into her ear. He went on in a husky voice. "I've felt you, but it was too brief. I want to feel _all_ of you...inside and out."

"And you will," she said, shivering a little as his lips moved against her ear. "Because that's what I want, too."

"This whole situation kind of reminds me of a Snickers commercial I saw recently," he said, his lips still right near her ear. "Hungry? Why wait?"

"What are you implying?" she asked, knowing full well what he was saying.

"I'm hungry, Steph. I want a taste," he said bluntly. "Are you gonna give me a taste?"

"I'd like to think I gave you a little taste of what was to come down in the arcade, with me sitting on top of you and everything..." She stepped off the escalator as they reached the top and he did the same, putting an arm around her waist as they began to walk.

"A touch, a feel, that's what that was," he said, walking close to her. "I want a taste of you, in the literal sense... Get what I'm saying?"

She stopped walking and looked at him for a second, then grabbed his hand and pulled him into the nearest place. She had no clue what the place was called, but it was dark and it had loud music playing. She could barely see where she was going as she pulled him to the back of the store and into a dark corner. She leaned against the wall and pulled him to her, their bodies pressed close together with no space in between.

"What's this, Steph?" he practically growled, putting his arms around her and gazing into her eyes.

"You wanted a taste... I'll give you a taste." She smiled at him, then kissed him hungrily. He kissed her back, snaking his tongue into her mouth and pressing her even harder against the wall, pressing himself against her more in the process. She pulled back to catch her breath, and to whisper something into his ear as he kissed her neck. "I want you right now, Chris, right here..."

He didn't know what she was thinking or what he was thinking, either. He was married, and they were in a public place. Granted, it was pretty dark in there, but the fact still remained that they were in a public place and there were people around. They were acting like horny little teens, like adolescents with raging hormones...

And yet, he still found himself fumbling with his belt buckle.

She kissed him again, and her hands traveled down to help him with his belt. She honestly didn't know what had come over her. She'd never been one to take these kinds of risks before, especially not with married men, and especially not with her best friend. This was Chris, for God's sake... This was the same Chris who had helped her through her divorce with Hunter, the same Chris that had taken care of her almost every single time she was sick, the same Chris who had fought against men twice as big as him for her honor... This really was her best friend! But that didn't even matter anymore, as they both got his belt loose and she unzipped his pants...

"Are you sure about this?" he asked breathlessly in her ear. "Because once I start, I'm not going to be able to stop."

"I'm more than sure," she answered, moving against him, touching him. She put one hand up to the side of his face, one thumb running lightly over his bottom lip as his hands went to pull up her skirt. "I just... Hurry, Chris..."

And then, as if it just wasn't meant to be, Chris's cell phone started ringing. "Fuck!" he exclaimed, leaning his forehead against the wall and groaning. "Of all the... Whoever this is, is going to get cursed out. I mean it."

Stephanie laughed at his frustration and kissed him on the side of his neck. "Just answer it," she said, sucking lightly on his neck. "It could be someone really important."

"You're right," he agreed, taking a deep breath. He didn't look at the display on his phone, he just brought it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Chris, where are you?" Jess asked. "Rich said that you and Stephanie were going to talk somewhere, but that seems like it was ages ago... Rich is embarrassing me here, running around with thongs on his head. He's like a two-year-old!"

"Sorry, baby, we ran into some crazy fans and we had to run and hide," Chris lied, biting his lip as Stephanie's hands found their way into the front of his pants.

"I guess that's the price you pay for being a sexy beast," Jessica laughed. She spotted Rich running around with yet another thong on his head and she grimaced a little. "But you have to get up here soon, because Rich is insane. He's never going shopping with us ever, eeeeever _again_!"

"Stealing my catchphrases?" he asked with a little laugh, but then he had to bite his lip to keep from moaning as Stephanie rubbed herself against him.

"I think I have a right to steal your catchphrases. I'm your wife," she reminded him, still watching Rich run around like a fool. "But seriously, honey, get up here as soon as you possibly can, because you're the only one who can control this guy."

"As soon as we're sure the fans aren't anywhere around, we'll be there," he answered, closing his eyes. "Try to get Rich to stop acting like a fool, ok? I'll talk to you later." He hung up the phone right after that, then stuck it in his back pocket, opened his eyes, and looked at Stephanie. "You torture me, you know that?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked innocently, her hands no longer in his pants. "What did I do wrong?"

"Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie..." He brought his lips down on hers again and kissed her forcefully, pressing her against the wall again. "I think I just bought us enough time for a quickie," he murmured suggestively against her lips.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" she murmured back, one hand against the back of his head as she kissed him.

"Good question..."

**A while later...**

Stephanie stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to where Chris was leaning against a wall, arms folded across his chest, shades on. After their little...adventure...in the back of the store, they had gone back down to the lower level of the mall to find a bathroom so they wouldn't be spotted by Jess or Rich. Stephanie stood in front of Chris and looked at him for a minute, but he didn't seem to notice her. She poked him in the chest, then stepped closer and kissed him on the nose.

Chris smiled at her then. "All cleaned up?" he asked, standing up straight.

"Yeah, I'm good, and you?" she answered, looking him over.

"I'm better than good, after what we just did," he said, grinning at her. "You're a wild one, Steph... How come I didn't ever know about that other side of you?"

"Let's see... I was married to Hunter, you were...and still are...married to Jess, and you were, and still are, my best friend," she replied, biting her lip a little. "Maybe that's why you never knew about my other side."

"Yeah, well..." He didn't really have anything else to say about that, so he smirked a little at her and linked his arm through hers. "We've left Jess and Rich up there in Victoria's Secret for quite a bit of time. He's probably destroyed the entire place by now."

They started walking over to the escalator, and she smiled a little. "Didn't she say that he was running around the place with thongs on his head?"

"Yeah, I think," he replied as they stepped onto the escalator. "Although I can't be sure, because _someone_, and I won't say her name...but someone had her hands in my pants, and I was really distracted."

"I wonder who that was," she said thoughtfully.

"I think you know who it was," he commented, smirking at her. "And I think I know who it was, too..."

They arrived back at Victoria's Secret a few seconds later, and they walked inside. They immediately spotted Rich sitting on the floor near the dressing rooms, playing with his fingers. He looked extremely bored. Jess was a few feet away, looking at some thongs...

"Why's he sitting down there?" Chris asked, walking over to his wife and looking back at Rich.

"Thank God you're back!" Jess exclaimed, dropping the thong she had been holding and engulfing him in a huge hug. "Rich was acting like such a child... I don't see how you put up with him in public. He was never like this before!"

"Yeah, Rich can be pretty crazy sometimes," Chris agreed, looking curiously over at Stephanie, who was, strangely, sitting next to Rich on the floor now. "Maybe he's acting like that because he's not home with Julie..."

"Yeah, maybe that's it, but I'm not too crazy about this side of him," Jess said, shaking her head. "So don't ever leave me alone with him in public again..."

"I'm sorry," he said, still looking at Stephanie. "It's just that the fans were-"

"Next time the fans jump on you, just put them in the Walls of Jericho," she interrupted. "You're a pro at the Walls, right, baby?"

He wasn't listening anymore. Her innocent mention of his submission move had him thinking of another wall... A wall he'd just had his best friend up against not too long ago, doing things to her that he'd never even thought about doing to her... He was getting excited all over again just thinking about it, and he glanced over at her with a heated look in his eyes... But then he saw how close to Rich she was sitting, and he got...jealous?

"Chris? You ok?" Jess asked after a minute. "You're awfully quiet."

"Sorry, sorry," he said, still looking at Stephanie and Rich. "I just think those two are sitting too close together on the floor."

"They're just talking," she replied, waving her hand a little. "Don't read too much into it..."

"Yeah, whatever you say," he answered.

"So, Jess says that you were running around with thongs on your head," Stephanie said, looking at Rich, who she was now sitting next to. "What's that all about?"

"I was bored," Rich answered with a shrug. "I needed something interesting to do, and what better to do than run around with a thong on my head?"

"You like to make a complete ass of yourself, don't you?" she asked with a laugh.

"I didn't make an ass out of myself last night, did I?" he countered in a quiet voice. "If I recall correctly, you_ liked_ my ass a lot last night..."

"Could you _not_ mention that? I hate the fact that I let myself get so carried away with you last night," she said, groaning as she leaned the back of her head against the wall. "I'd like to plead temporary insanity..."

"I'm not apologizing for it, and I'm definitely not pleading temporary insanity," he said. "I was perfectly sane, like I am now. It was fun, wasn't it?"

"Shut up already," she mumbled, getting to her feet and walking over near Jess and Chris. They both gave her concerned looks, and she smiled a little at them. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I'm just greatly annoyed by the Duke over there."

"You and me both," Jess agreed, looking over at Rich, then back at Stephanie. "Oh, and there was something I wanted you to see. Come on, it's over here..."

Chris watched Stephanie and Jess walk over to the other side of the store, picking up different types of underwear and discussing them. He leaned against a wall and kept his eyes focused completely on Stephanie, like maybe if he stared hard enough, he'd be able to melt her clothes away with his eyes.

"It's not going to work. I've tried," Rich said, suddenly appearing next to Chris.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Chris asked nonchalantly.

"You're not suddenly going to develop X-ray vision, dude," Rich said, shaking his head at his friend.

"A guy can dream, right?" Chris asked with a soft laugh, eyes resting on Stephanie yet again, who was now talking animatedly to Jess about something. Her eyes seemed to be glowing... In fact, _she_ seemed to be glowing, and Chris couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of her.

"Yeah," Rich agreed wistfully, looking over at Stephanie as well. "Sometimes all a guy _can_ do is dream..."

**A/N: I had the first part of this chapter written. I hadn't originally planned for them to hook up so fast, but it happened and I can't change it... I have no good excuse for the second half of this chapter, other than the fact that I was so stuck! I didn't know what to write! But here's another chapter...so leave me a review while I work on making Chapter 11 better!**


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